Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Postmaster retires to enhance ministry

One smiling and familiar face at the Gurdon Post Office will be missing from action the next time you go there because Postmaster Rex Smith retired on Monday, Jan. 31.

Smith, 51, has been postmaster here since April 8, 2000, and Officer in Charge (OIC) at Gurdon from 1998 until the postmaster appointment. He had been postmaster at Sparkman since 1993 and actually remained so during his time as OIC in Gurdon. His first experience as postmaster started in 1986 at Woodson.

Smith began his career with the U.S. Post Office in Little Rock on April 4, 1977.

Before putting in his 28 years for the postal service, Smith served active duty in the United States Army for three years. He retired as a Master Sergeant E8 US Army Reserve on Oct. 1, 2002.

"I took an early retirement option. My Army career and postal career combined to give me 30 years of federal service," he said. "It was a voluntary early retirement option that happened to come up, or I would have had to work until age 55. I retired early to devote more time to my ministry."

Smith was appointed pastor at the Pleasant Hill AME Church at Benton in November of 2004. He has been in the ministry since 2001, having served as the assistant pastor at the Bethel AME Church in Malvern.

"Although I would like to just do the ministry, my wife informs me I may need a part-time job," he said. "I may be interested in rental property or storage buildings as I get into my retirement for other income sources."

Smith said he has appreciated the friendly attitude and reception that his postal customers have given him over the years, especially at Gurdon.

"They accepted me and treated me like family," he said. "I have also enjoyed working with a great group of local employees. These nine folks have been good to me and great at serving the community."

Smith said Gurdon has three rural routes and three city routes. A new postmaster has not been named, but the postal service has put Giovianni Limandri temporarily in charge.

According to Smith, they will most likely name a new postmaster for Gurdon sometime within the next 90 days.

Smith is married to Barbara and they have four children and four grandchildren. The children are: Chasity, 30; Veronica, 23; Rex, 24; and Rex Jr., 21.

Smith said, "The thing I will miss the most about Gurdon is the fellowship. I had good talks with my customers every day. They understood me well and were a joy to keep up with."