HomeNewsCherry Hill NewsVoorhees resident throws surprise retirement party for mailman

Voorhees resident throws surprise retirement party for mailman

John Gragilla has served Voorhees for 35 years

EMILY LIU/The Sun: Cherry Hill resident John Gragilla arrives at Fir Lane to complete his final day as a U.S. post carrier on July 29, where Voorhees neighbors surprise him with a retirement party to thank him for his time.

For close to 35 years, through rain, snow, sleet or shine, five days a week and throughout the pandemic, Cherry Hill resident John Gragilla delivered mail to residents in Voorhees.

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EMILY LIU/The Sun: Neighbors in the Acorn Hill/Lost Tree applaud as their mailman John Gragilla arrives at his surprise retirement party on his last day of work on July 29. Voorhees resident Michelle Cohen organized the event only a few days before, and invited Gragilla’s family to come as well.

Michelle Cohen, a Voorhees resident and a reading specialist at Triton High School, started planning the surprise party a few days before. She reached out to her neighbors on social media and invited Gragilla’s wife Shirley and son John III.

EMILY LIU/The Sun: On July 29, Voorhees resident and Triton High School teacher Michell Cohen surprises Voorhees mailman and Cherry Hill resident John Gragilla on his last day of work with gifts and a retirement party.

Cohen set up a tent near the front of her house, and her decorations included streamers and a sign that read, “Rain, Snow, Sleet or Shine, You’re Staying Home.” Beneath it was a tall pile of packages and envelopes addressed to the postman, cookies and a bucket full of bottled waters.

Cohen and some of her neighbors decided on a group present of gift cards to local restaurants. Others decorated their mailboxes with streamers and balloons and left gifts for Gragilla along his postal route.

Cohen has lived in Voorhees for 17 years, and as a teacher, she would see Gragilla a lot during the summer. She reflected on how she bonded with him over their love of cruises and dogs, and how he would sometimes bring treats for Cohen’s dogs.

“The dogs love him,” she said. “Even though people think dogs hate mailmen, he’s like, ‘Let me give them treats instead.’”

Another neighbor, Dave Pai, described Gragilla as being very friendly and “someone you could talk to.” For some people isolated during the pandemic, Gragilla may have  been the only person they saw.

When he finally pulled up to Cohen’s house a little after 4, people clapped and cheered.

“I’m overwhelmed. You’re like family to me,” Gragilla said after he got out of his truck. “I love you all, and I’m going to miss you. I wish you were a little more nasty to make this easier.

“Thank you for 20 years,” the postman added. “I couldn’t ask for better people to have known. It’s been my pleasure, really.”

According to his wife, Gragilla thought about retirement for a while. And while the party was put together in a short amount of time, she wasn’t surprised by the gesture.

EMILY LIU/The Sun: Cherry Hill residents Shirley and John Gragilla have been married for over 35 years. On his last day of work, Shirley comes to surprise her husband along with the other Voorhees residents, and their son John III.

“These people are just the nicest, nicest, people, honestly,” Shirley Gragilla said.

When he retires, Gragilla looks forward to spending time with his wife, golfing, and taking walks with others.

EMILY LIU/The Sun: John Gragilla poses with his mail delivery truck on his last day of work, where he is surprised with a retirement party. He is grateful for his time working as a postal delivery man and for the Voorhees community he came to know.

“I’ve been fortunate,” he reflected. “I have great people that I work with: bosses, co-workers. It’s something I look forward to every day, it truly is.”

 

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