BALTIMORE — A birthday card, a utility bill, a gift for the holidays.
The mail is always different. But a southwest Baltimore neighborhood always knows what to expect from the man delivering it: the kind of warmth they're giving back to him as he prepares to retire.
Step by step, house by house, Darrel Montgomery has delivered parcels, packages and envelopes to Hunting Ridge homes for about 30 years.
"I just... I just love my job. Being out here," Montgomery told WMAR.
Like the route itself, he knows the folks in the neighborhood like the back of his hand.
"I'm a people person. I believe in the golden rule. Do unto others, have them do unto you. And I feel like I'm just a family guy," Montgomery added.
After decades serving families in Hunting Ridge, Montgomery is retiring next year.
"It feels strange. But it feels good. I just basically take it one day at a time," he said.
Mongomery has been with this community through it all, and they've been with him.
"My biggest memory? I would say, I had a heart attack, he recalled, "And I had to learn how to walk, the whole 9 yards. And the love from the community just poured out. And when I came back, the love was still there."
And the love is still here; neighbors are giving Montgomery a fond farewell. They're the ones delivering him gifts, not the other way around. Some have invited him over for dinner.
Many have taken to putting signs outside their homes, reading "Thank you, Darrel."
"I think it's one of those things where, you don't realize what you have until it's gone or going. So the moment the neighborhood got a whiff that he was retiring, it tugged on several heartstrings," Javon Burden, the neighborhood's community association president, told WMAR.
"Not only did he deliver the mail, he took care of us. He looked out for this community. And that meant a lot to me. So I wish him well in his retirement," said Nancy Smith, a neighbor.
"He's enriched our community," noted Danny Blackwell, another neighbor. "He's like a walking saint. He's someone that greets you with 'how are you feeling' as opposed to 'how are you doing.' Which, to me, makes a huge impact because that's the heart-level question."
Before he hangs up his satchel, Montgomery is sticking around for one last holiday season to make sure everyone's presents are delivered without a hitch.
And now, what started as a summer job out of college years ago has given Montgomery a career, and friends to last a lifetime.
"What parts of the job are most fulfilling for you?" asked WMAR-2 News' Jack Watson, in an interview with Montgomery.
DM: "To see a smile," Montgomery replied. "To give someone a present or gifts or something, and they just "Thank you, Darrel!" That's fulfilling."
When he retires early next year, Montgomery tells WMAR he wants to spend more time with his grandchildren, and relax.
