Kalispell postal workers put a stamp on a long-lived career

When Michelle and Jefferson Oxford first met in 1979, it was like a tiger meeting a maniac. 

Michelle was dressed as a tiger the first time they met — it was her high school mascot in Nebraska. Jefferson’s central Idaho high school’s mascot was known as the maniac.

It wasn’t for another two and a half years until the pair would meet again, beginning a journey of navigating family life and the workforce as both employees of the postal service. 

The end of 2023 marked 40 years of marriage and 35 years of service for them with the United States Postal Service, a monumental anniversary, one that both Oxfords plan to retire with. 

“It hasn’t hit me yet,” Michelle said after her final day of work on Dec. 28. “Today I did my final count… it was a good send-off.”

But the end of their postal careers is not only a testament to their decades of work but also to the relationship that got them there.

In 1982, Jefferson was checking out at a grocery store in Nebraska when he recognized Michelle, although she didn’t know his name at that point. Jefferson was persistent, Michelle said, ultimately winning her over. 

“We met on February 1 and by April 1 we knew we were going to get married,” Jefferson said.

And they did, on May 28, 1983. 

“She’s truly been the best thing that has ever happened to me, she truly believes there is goodness in everyone,” Jefferson said about his wife. 

As newlyweds, the pair completed odd jobs in a small Nebraska town. Michelle worked as a preschool teacher and Jefferson worked in a boat factory, where conditions were less than optimal or safe, he said. It was an easy decision to leave that job, and the pair started traveling so Jefferson could work on powerlines.

The Oxfords moved to Nevada, then Maryland, where they had their first daughter, and then back to Nebraska, where they saw an advertisement in the local newspaper about the postal service exam. The benefits were good and you could virtually live anywhere upon approval.  They studied and took numerous tests. The next step, after they passed, was to wait for an opening in one of their preferred cities. 

Prior to the postal exam, in 1980, Jefferson was working on a powerline in northern Idaho. He would often visit Northwest Montana, a place where his father had previously logged, and quickly fell in love with it. 

The Oxfords knew they wanted to be in Kalispell. The Postal Service was a way to help them get there. 

Flash forward to 1987, the couple is living in Arizona with an additional baby girl, and Michelle gets hired by the postal service in Nebraska as a carrier. Jefferson, soon after, got hired as a clerk.

Thus began a long career of service, respect and adoration for the community. 

When you work for the Postal Service, Jefferson said, you can request to transfer anywhere after a year of work. The choice was obvious: Kalispell. 

In the three and a half years it took the Oxfords to have the transfer approved, they continued working in Nebraska, where they had their third daughter. Oct. 13, 1993, officially marked their first effective date as Kalispell post office employees, where they both were hired as clerks. 

When they were starting out, in order to raise three girls and provide for the family, Jefferson and Michelle switched off shifts, working days and nights, to ensure childcare from one parent. There was often overtime and long days, but the couple genuinely cared for their work. 

“You didn’t have a regular job, you really needed a lot of flexibility,” Michelle said. 

Their presence at the post office was well-received. Michelle was even the postal ambassador for Montana in the early 2000s, nominated by the Kalispell postmaster. 

Larry Golie, a former Kalispell postmaster who oversaw the Oxfords, describes the couple as special. Their overall goal is to spread kindness and serve the community, he said, and they do it with a combined 70 years of experience.

Jefferson, according to Golie, runs the bulk mail entry at the post office, constantly dealing with big businesses to make sure needs are met. According to Golie, Jefferson’s reach has positively affected people and businesses across the nation.

Michelle is as special as they come, Golie said. She created the tradition of having a giving tree in the office during the holiday season, bakes brownies on payday every other week and encourages people to dress up on holidays. Sometimes people will wait in line longer than they have to solely just to get Michelle at the counter, he said. 

“I think that they both encompass kindness and paying it forward,” Golie said. “They will be greatly missed.”

As their careers unfolded, their positions adapted. Michelle, whose last day was on Dec. 28, retired as the lead sales and service associate. 

Jefferson, who plans to retire soon but doesn’t have an exact date in mind, will retire as the bulk mail technician. In retirement, the pair plans on traveling, writing and going through everything in their home. 

“People become your friends, not your customers,” Jefferson said. Michelle added that coworkers and postmasters can also become friends and family, noting that they were leaving a strong, capable team behind to continue their legacy. One of which is the Oxford’s daughter. 

During their time at the post office, the Oxfords lived, and worked, through a major expansion in population in the Flathead as well as the onset of the digital age, where letters began being replaced by Amazon parcels. 

However, the importance and sentimental value of sending and receiving mail still is there, Jefferson said. 

“A piece of mail is a personal connection from one person to another,” he said. 

Anyone can send an email or a text message, but writing and sending a letter takes effort and intention. For Jefferson, contrary to its decline, mail may mean more now than it ever did, he said. 

“I hope that people continue to see the value in it,” Michelle said. 

Reporter Kate Heston can be reached at kheston@dailyinterlake.com or 758-4459.