Roger Kastrup, Ruskin, retired as a rural mail carrier from the U.S. Post office this week after more than 25 years of service. He first carried mail as a substitute out of Nelson. Most recently he has been a rural carrier for Superior.
When Roger Kastrup got up last Saturday morning, his life had changed. The longtime Ruskin area resident, after being a combination farmer and mail carrier for more than 26 years, was just a farmer. He delivered his last piece of mail the previous Friday afternoon.
Kastrup, now 67 years old, began the dual occupation of farmer and mailman in April of 1994 when he agreed to be a substitute carrier on Danny Jackson's rural route one out of the Superior office. As needed, he was to be a substitute rural carrier on routes served by other offices including those at Nelson and Deshler. For a farmer, the substitute carrier's job was a good one; it offered an opportunity for a daily crop tour and time in the afternoon to complete his farming.
When Vern Kimminau retired in 2008, Kastrup became a full-time carrier assigned to the Superior office. His route generally took him east of Superior and included the Hardy office's rural route patrons. When the 130 miles of his route were combined with the 40 mile commute from his home in the Ruskin area, he drove 170 miles per day, six days per week which added to 1,050 miles per week.
When he started as a substitute, he used a regular left-hand drive automobile and drove from the center of the vehicle. Later he acquired right-hand drive Jeeps of which at retirement he owned two. The older one. which he may keep for use on the farm. has travelled 338,000 miles. The newer one has tallied 220,000 miles. Kastrup said he changes the oil in both vehicles every 3,000 miles.
As with all jobs, the mail carrier's job has seen many changes. While it arrives later, the first class mail is generally sorted into delivery order. When he started, the carriers cased their mail before leaving the office. The volume of first class mail has declined but the parcel volume has grown substantially as has the use of electronics to track the movement of the mail.
Kastrup may miss the daily crop tours but he won't miss the blizzards and getting stuck on the less than perfect rural roads. He will miss his co-workers and customers, including the patron who every day left him a cookie.
Because of COVID-19, he was not honored with a retirement open house though a number of current and retired co-workers met him for coffee at the Superior Post Office before he left on his route for the final time.
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