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LAYTON — Mailman Brent Coulam’s 42 years of service in a Layton community went far beyond delivering letters.

As a token of thanks, residents of the West Layton neighborhood where Coulam worked surprised him by attaching balloons to mailboxes filled with thank-you notes and gifts Saturday, the last day before his retirement. They even gathered “fun money” for him to use on a vacation in Hawaii.

“He was very touched,” resident Andrea Abbott said. “He even got teary-eyed a couple of times. A lot of people just made the effort to come out and say goodbye and give him hugs. We had little kids out there. He loved those little kids and would always wave and talk to them.”

Coulam helped a lot of people in many ways, according to Abbott. He’s been delivering her mail since she moved into the neighborhood 22 years ago.

Examples of Coulam’s acts of service include carrying groceries and taking mail directly to residents' doors when he knew someone in the family was sick. A couple of weeks ago, he noticed a truck on fire and ran up to the home to let the owners know.

“They ran out, and he stayed out there with them and tried to help put the fire out until the fire department came,” Abbott said. “Then he went on his way, but he saved that family’s home from being destroyed by a car fire.”

KSL-TV

Despite all the praise, Coulam remains humble.

"It's just part of the job," he said. "It really is part of the job. You're supposed to keep our eye on the public.”

During his decades of service, Coulam became close with many of the people on his route. Neighbors said he always took the time to chat with people who were outside and remembered what family members were doing.

"I have kids in this neighborhood who have kids who are grown," he said.

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