John Rodgers, 90, mailman

John "Bud" Rodgers, 90, who put his stamp on Ardmore by delivering mail there for half a century - never without a smile on his face - died July 22 at Broomall Nursing Home of complications from a stroke.

Mr. Rodgers, who grew up in Ardmore and lived in Drexel Hill for nearly 60 years, began his career as a letter carrier in 1937, when stamps cost 3 cents and a postcard could be mailed for a penny. He continued to deliver mail out of the post office in Ardmore until Sept. 1, 1987, just short of his 70th birthday and a day chronicled by The Inquirer.

Voices in that article paint a picture of a quiet man who didn't curse or talk about other people. He loved what he did for a living and took pride in it.

Bill Kincade, one of Mr. Rodgers' colleagues at the time of his retirement, called Mr. Rodgers "one of the last of the old breed" in the Inquirer article.

A client on St. Georges Road made him pose for a photo on his last day. "You made us all feel happy, Buck" - another of Mr. Rodgers' nicknames - Alice Mack was quoted as saying. "My mother wouldn't forgive me if I didn't give her a snapshot of you."

In all the years he delivered mail, Mr. Rodgers was bitten by a dog only once. A big poodle got him on the back of a leg and put him out of work for three days.

Mr. Rodgers was not one to miss work. "He was dependable," Dan Millett, a supervisor, was quoted as saying.

On his last day, Mr. Rodgers received a 50-year pin, and his coworkers chipped in to give him $250. He handled 340 stops, starting at the Main Line YMCA and running down Woodside and Mill Creek Roads and points in between.

In the article, Mr. Rodgers said his life had been "sort of trivial. Nothing out of the ordinary. But look at all the people I've met. . . . I tried to do a good job. You might say I've enjoyed it."

Away from work, Mr. Rodgers, who was a graduate of Lower Merion High School and an Army veteran of World War II, was "very simple. He wasn't much into himself or money or vacations," his son John said. "He loved his family. He loved his wife. He loved his country. Of course, he could never talk enough about his job.

"He was a man who lived simply but loved greatly."

Mr. Rodgers is also survived by sons Jim, Ed and Rick; 13 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren. His wife, Mary, died in 1997 after 48 years of marriage.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday at Stuard Funeral Home, 104 Cricket Ave. in Ardmore. Burial is private.

Memorial donations may be made to the American Stroke Association, Box 15120, Chicago, Ill. 60693 or

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