Louis Aragon

Every day for 35 years he grabbed his mailbag and walked his route. People learned that the mail didn’t just arrive with bills and postcards—it also arrived with a smile. He worked the same route pretty much all those 35 years and became a well-known figure in people's every day life. Decades passed, neighborhoods changed and kids grew up and moved. But still they remembered him. "Lou, you were my mail man when I was a kid.”

When he wasn’t delivering letters, he was usually on his road bike pedaling along winding roads with his friends, pushing each other up hills, coasting downhill and enjoying the beers and laughter during the stops. Cycling gave him the same thing the mail route did - movement, connection, and the joy of being outside. And when the bike was parked, he headed for the trails with his friends. He really enjoyed Washington’s forests and mountains.

He spent a lifetime moving on foot, on bike, and on trail—delivering mail, delivering laughter, and leaving every place just a little warmer than he found it.