On any other day — except Sunday, of course — they would flood her counter, a constant stream of people entrusting her with greeting cards for loved ones, seeking her help finding missing packages, starting delivery, stopping delivery, changing addresses.

But on this chilly spring afternoon, they gathered and stayed outside the Ridgway Post Office, holding flower bouquets and homemade signs.

This time, they waited on her. When Laura Hagert pulled open the door and stepped out, more than 40 people cheered and clapped and lined up one by one to hug her, thank her and wish her well with her next assignment: retirement.

After 30 years with the U.S. Postal Service — 22 of them spent in the Ford administration-era trailer on Clinton Street in Ridgway — Hagert allowed herself a moment to absorb the recognition. Someone found out it was her last day and organized a small farewell.

“I was surprised, that’s for sure,” she said. “I just thought I’d fade into the background.”

Laura Hagert waves to supporters who came to celebrate her on her last day working at the Ridgway Post Office on April 18. She took a short break to receive flowers, hugs and cards, and then went back inside to get back to work. Hagert, 80, is beloved by the customers she served for 22 years. A retirement celebration is planned for 3-5 p.m. May 10 at the Sherbino Theater in Ridgway. Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer

But after 15 minutes or so, it was time to get back to work. There was one more batch of outgoing mail to gather from the collection boxes, one more room full of packages to sort through in the back.

That the 80-year-old Hagert remained laser-focused on serving customers in the final hours of her last day on the job isn’t surprising for someone known to deliver misaddressed cards in person and spend a Saturday rearranging mailbox numbers on Log Hill. She figured if she didn’t do it, it probably wouldn’t get done.

Ridgway resident Alice Billings, left, and Laura Hagert pose with a sign customers signed in appreciation of Hagert’s tenure with the U.S. Postal Service and presented to her on her last day of work, April 18. Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer

An appreciation of history

Ridgway Post Office customers often knew Hagert was behind the counter even before they saw her, because her laugh drifted into the lobby. As postmasters, clerks and delivery drivers rotated in and out of jobs and routes, and suits in Washington, D.C. made decisions in recent years that eroded mail delivery service, one thing remained constant: Hagert’s steady presence and friendly demeanor.

Her ties to Ridgway, though, predate her time with the post office.

She and her first husband, Richard, bought property in Ridgway in 1979, then moved here from Utah in 1988. Several of the commercial buildings in the heart of town owe their preservation or origination to the two of them, including the late 19th century Herran House on North Cora Street and the Centennial Building on Clinton Street.

“We were for preserving history,” she said. “We weren’t for changing it or destroying it.”

Changing jobs

She and Richard divorced years later, and Hagert took a job as a seamstress sewing tipis and yurts for Colorado Yurt Company in the building that now houses the Sherbino Theater. A co-worker encouraged her to take the civil services exam to work at the post office. Hagert, who once worked as a Ridgway school custodian and was called “Mom” by students who felt comfortable confiding in her, didn’t have a college education and needed the extra income. She started in 1995 as a part-time, substitute rural carrier for the Montrose post office — and made an immediate impression.

“I remember when I got my route in Montrose, the customers would say, ‘You smile!’” she said. “And I thought, how difficult is it to smile?”

She kept the job even after she remarried, sold her commercial properties and didn’t need the money as much.

“I enjoy people. On a one-to-one basis, I’m fine. But put me in a crowd, and I’m a wallflower.”

Her dance moves at the summer concerts in Ridgway might suggest otherwise. Either way, Hagert made a point of connecting with customers, listening to them and not rushing them.

“When they came in upset, I wanted them to leave happy. I wanted them to be happier than when they came in,” she said.

Ridgway resident John Baskfield said Hagert is a fount of knowledge about the area who had a unique ability to disarm customers frustrated with long lines or missing mail.

“She’s a wise old soul,” he said.

Laura Hagert hugs Ridgway resident John Baskfield at a short celebration of her retirement outside the Ridgway Post Office on April 18. Baskfield rode up on his bicycle to deliver flowers to Hagert. “She’s a wise, old soul,” he said. Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer

Time for family

Hagert acknowledges the demands of her job often competed with her dedication to her family — and sometimes won out. She was working behind the counter in 2018 when she learned her second husband, Bob, died at a Montrose care center. He had battled health problems for years.

“That was one of the hardest things for me to have to deal with,” she said.

On another occasion, she traveled to Nebraska to visit her daughter, who had undergone surgery, but returned early because she was needed back at work.

She intended to retire a year ago but stayed because a new postmaster hadn’t arrived yet and she didn’t want to leave her co-workers in a lurch.

The truth, though, is that while the post office and her coworkers in Ridgway depended on her skills and institutional knowledge, she cherished the work and the interaction with others.

“After Bob passed, I sort of needed that with people,” she said.

Laura Hagert sits at the Ridgway Post Office counter where customers were accustomed to seeing her every day. Hagert retired April 18, after 22 years working for the U.S. Postal Service. Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer

At an age when many of her peers had left the workforce, Hagert plugged along. She enjoyed good health and could still lift more weight than her petite stature suggested. Her bosses and coworkers knew they never needed to worry about her. But she never considered applying to become postmaster.

“I would rather deal with people than the computer,” she said.

Now, it’s time for family — three brothers who are spread across the country, three daughters, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. A grandson who was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was a toddler and wasn’t expected to live long is graduating from eighth grade soon, and she plans to celebrate with him in person.

“I’ve enjoyed all of you over the years,” she told those who gathered outside the post office on her last day, April 18. “And I’ve enjoyed my job.”

Ridgway resident Willie Richardson hugs Laura Hagert on her last day working at the Ridgway Post Office. When word got out that it was her final work day, customers started showing up to say thank you. Erin McIntyre – Ouray County Plaindealer

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: Retirement open house for Laura Hagert

WHEN: Saturday, May 10, 3-5 p.m.

WHERE: Sherbino Theater, 604 Clinton St., Ridgway