Portland postmaster retires

After more than 39 years at Portland Post Office, postmaster Paul Keen has retired.

Postal workers celebrated Keen’s retirement Friday morning.

Keen, 65, has served as Portland postmaster since 2014. He’s also worked in other capacities at the Portland branch, including as the officer in charge.

“It’s pretty much like family, I’ve been here so long,” said Keen, a 1978 Jay County High School graduate.

Keen’s career in postal work came with a transition to technology. He talked about the change in switching from manual service to using computers on a day-to-day basis. Detailed carrier and package tracking has also become heavily integrated.

Postmasters coordinate administrative and management services for the U.S. Postal Service offices, delegating work among employees. His job, he added, is a responsibility stretching 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

What’s kept him at the post office for nearly four decades?

“Probably the people,” he said, referencing the large group gathered Friday morning at the post office for his retirement party. During a short speech he gave while surrounded by coworkers, he told the team they’ve become like brothers and sisters to him.

It’s a mutual feeling. Portland Post Office clerk Carrie Fairchild described him as a friend and father figure.

“I’ve enjoyed working with him more so than any postmaster I’ve ever had,” said Fairchild, who also spent time at post offices in Bryant and Montpelier.

Former postal worker Greg Wellman, a longtime friend, attended Bloomfield Elementary School with Keen. They both served in Jay County post offices until Wellman’s retirement in 2024. He recalled Jay County residents popping into the post office simply to chat with Keen. Not because he was postmaster, Wellman explained, but because he was a “people person.”

“He cares about other people to a fault,” Wellman said, recalling various times Keen had taken heat for others. “But he makes a great boss. He was always protecting us all the time.”

Keen plans to spend his retirement starting his “Hoosier Handyman” business and doing small construction jobs. An area landlord, he’s built multiple houses, including his own.

Berne postmaster Cynthia Reinhart will take over Keen’s role. She currently serves as president of Indiana’s chapter of United Postmasters and Managers of America and has also worked in various capacities at Decatur Post Office in her hometown.

Eaton postmaster Kip VanSkyock, who worked for Dunkirk and Portland branches as a carrier as well as a local supervisor for several years, said Keen’s knowledge of the postal world has helped many folks over the years. He knows his job well, VanSkyock said, adding that Portland Post Office has been lucky to have him in charge.

“You don’t find many people who spend 39 and a half years in one place, especially these days,” he said, addressing Keen in a speech Friday morning. “It has been an honor to work with you.”