Scott Codding cherishes the times he delivered mail to Durango residents and the subsequent interactions he made time for.

He’s been doing it for 30 years in this little corner of the state, 39 years altogether with the United States Postal Services.

But now he is calling it a career, with his last official day being on Tuesday.

“I never thought it would be this long. I’m blessed to have been healthy, to have a career that long,” he said. “The friends I’ve made in the post office, as well as the customers … I take pride in that.”

Codding was a mail clerk in Phoenix before arriving in Durango. But when his workplace in Phoenix transitioned to an automated letter-shifting format in 1993, boredom on the midnight shift soon set in and he sought a change of scenery.

Discovering Southwest Colorado

His father had moved to Dolores and built a home. While visiting his father to help him get settled in, Codding made time to also visit Durango and talk to the city’s postmaster about a position. Codding was quickly offered the job.

He was initially taken back because of how sudden the offer was, but he accepted it because he was tired of Phoenix’s “brutal” summers and growing population. His children were young at the time, and he sought a quieter setting for them.

“I’m quite sure had I not transferred to Durango, I never would’ve come close to 39 years (of service),” he said. “Had I stayed in Phoenix, it would not have been a long career. So, Durango saved my postal career, so to speak.”

Growing up in Medina, Ohio, about 30 miles southwest of Cleveland, Codding was also drawn to having the four seasons.

There was the initial culture shock of going from a major city and office space of 500 workers to a small mountain town with no more than 60 workers at the time.

He was also living near Summit Reservoir in Montezuma County when he first transferred and dealt with the long, winter commute to and from Durango. After spending over a year as a mail clerk, he jumped at the chance to be a carrier so he could work daytime hours, something he did not do in Phoenix.

Enduring rough conditions

Codding remembers a major snowstorm that hit the area in February 2022. He first had to clear over a foot and a half of snow off the roof of his car, then clear another foot and a half of snow from a parking lot.

He also had to wear a headlamp while getting through piles of snow while on his routes during the winter months.

Still, he was already no stranger to snowy conditions in northeast Ohio, which helped him acclimate to Durango’s winters.

Serving others

Codding’s route spanned from the train yard near the city’s south side to the heart of downtown.

But after logging 930 deliveries every day, getting older and tiring of the winters, he realized it was time to hang it up.

“I did want to be able to enjoy my retirement,” he said, adding he had shoulder surgery on Sept. 1.

Codding, 62, has been eligible to retire since 2017, but he pushed on because he loved what he did for a living.

His years with the Postal Service extended beyond his work duties. While eating lunch on Second Avenue one day, he saw a young girl walking down the sidewalk.

The child walked up to his vehicle and told Codding she was lost. He received the OK from his boss to take the child to the police station.

“She eventually found her way home,” Codding said.

As the years went on, he grew close with his customers.

“People are glad to see you, and you’re glad to see them,” he said.

mhollinshead@durangoherald.com