MECHANICSBURG – After 20 years of serving the village of Mechanicsburg, Mary Kay Allen has decided to retire.

She is the first female to serve as postmaster in the village and is grateful to the residents and members of the business community she has met and worked with since 1992. Her last day will be July 31.

Allen grew up in Logan County, in the town of Huntsville, the daughter of Robert (now deceased) and Mary Ann Wallace. Upon her graduation from Indian Lake High School in 1977, she assumed she would take a job at Superfoods where many family members worked. As the time neared, however, she learned the company was trying to steer away from hiring family members of current employees, so she was on the hunt for a job.

She was unable to attend college, so she took a job at Mad River Mountain. That’s when she learned there was a position open at the Huntsville Post Office. She took a job there as a clerk in October 1977.

After a couple of years, she transferred to the Bellefontaine office, and later to Eaton. She moved on to the Piqua post office where she took a job as a supervisor. Then around 1989 she took her first postmaster position in the West Alexandria Post Office. After just a few years in that role, she took her post in Mechanicsburg.

“It’s been a good career, a good job,” Allen said, while sitting in her office. She said changing offices is a lot like changing jobs.

“It keeps it fresh,” she said.

The resident of Dublin said it wasn’t long after she began as the postmaster in the village that she realized Mechanicsburg would be the office from which she would retire.

“The people here care about service and work ethic,” she said. “It feels like home again.”

In the 34 years she has worked for the United States Postal Service, she said the biggest change she has had to deal with is technology.

“Not having a college education, it was definitely a challenge to learn,” Allen said. “I had to learn on the job.”

She said her strength has been customer service.

“She’s very warm and friendly,” said Kim Layne, who has been a clerk at the Mechanicsburg post office since 1993.

Allen said she has terrific employees which make her job a little easier. She’s been known to treat them to donuts on a regular basis, which she picks up on her way in to work. Upon telling the group of 13 workers that she would be retiring, the first comment from a rural carrier wasn’t that she would be missed but, “now who will bring in the donuts!”

In addition to good employees, Allen said the business community in Mechanicsburg has been “wonderful” and that she has enjoyed the good working relationships she has had.

Allen had planned to retire in 2014, but her decision to leave the workforce was moved up when she was offered an “early out.”

She’s looking forward to spending more time with her two grown daughters, who live near her, as well as taking road trips with her sister and other family members. Another hobby she plans to spend more time on is helping friends at a farmer’s market in Grove City.

Upon her departure, an officer in charge (OIC) will probably take over at the post office until a new postmaster is selected.