RYE, COLORADO
Lisa Crabb, Postmaster of the Rye Post Office, hopes that her management style resembles Darlene Mcdonald, whom she replaced when Mcdonald retired.
“Darlene was fantastic,” shared Crabb. “She was so patient, and when people made mistakes she was quick to point out that she made mistakes also and that we were all human.”
Crabb worked for nearly two years as a clerk under Mcdonald and when Mcdonald retired she recommended that Crabb take her place.
“I am so grateful for this position,” Crabb shared. “I love the small town feel of the Rye community. In Rye you get to know everyone one on one. I love the customer service aspect of my job. There is such a family feel among the staff and the customers.”
Crabb also admitted that she has Mcdonald on speed dial.
Crabb worked for her family business from 2002-2018.
She was a manager and part owner of One Hour Heating and Air Conditioning.
Crabb, a Pueblo native, began her postal career in Dalhart, Texas in 2019. She still owned a home in Avondale and eventually desired to make her way back.
She saw that Rye had an opening and landed that job, working for two years under the direction of Mcdonald.
Crabb then took a promotion to Manzanola where she was the only clerk in the small post office. When she heard of Mcdonald’s retirement, she applied for the Rye position.
Mcdonald supported her bid and she was named interim Post Master and went through the process of the listed position. Crabb finally interviewed with the Post Office Operations Manager of the Colorado-Wyoming area G and, on February 11, became the official Post Master of the Rye Post Office.
Crabb feels that her employees form a cohesive team.
She supervises two part-time clerks, two route drivers in Rye and one clerk and two route drivers in Beulah.
Jessica Beckham is the newest member of the team.
She just finished her 90-day probationary period and is a clerk at Rye. Denis Hickey is on the other end of the spectrum. He has been with the post office for almost 30 years and is nearing retirement in Rye. Ricky Vierra and Carol Bailey are the two Rye route carriers.
Karyl Frank is the clerk in Beulah, and Jay Lord is a USPS employee who drives a route. Curtis Perkins is a contracted carrier on a route in Beulah, similar to the two Rye carriers.
“The Postmaster had more paperwork,” shared Crabb, “and I only had a short amount of time with Darlene before she left. We spent one day transferring keys, cash, stamps and things like that, we spent one day running a route in Beulah and one day in the office.”
“So, learning the additional paperwork was a challenge,” Crabb assessed.
“Other than that, I had been instructed local mail needed to go through the same procedure as other mail.
Previously, local mail wasn’t being measured and I was instructed that had to be done. That met a little bit of opposition,” Crabb shared.
“I think most people understand, though, that a post office is paid by volume. The salaries of my staff are based on volume as are the allowed hours. I like my clerks and want them around as much as possible so they won’t leave for a job with more hours!”
The Rye Post Office window is open from 9:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. and then closes for lunch. It reopens at 1:30 p.m. until 4:45 p.m., Monday thru Friday. On Saturday the Post office is open from 9:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. If you have questions, you can phone the post office at (719) 489-3320. When Crabb isn’t working you might find her on her Harley, shooting a bow, camping or fishing. Her three children are all in the Pueblo area, as is her twoyear-old grandson.
“I’m very thankful for the position and the welcoming, friendly people of Rye,” summed up Crabb. “What a wonderful way to further your career, surrounded by such nice people!”