Visits to Easton’s post office at 295 Center Road are memorable for more than a sheet of stamps or a dreaded tax payment. Residents are used to conversation and really great music.
Some of that conversation and music may change when Ed Perkowski retires after seven years at our post office.
Perkowski is leaving after “40 years, eight months and 12 days.” A conservation and natural resources major at the University of Connecticut, he says, in his familiar dry tone, “I took the job at the Bridgeport post office until something better came along.”
With a curious mix of talents and interests, Perkowski is a devoted runner and has participated in races in all 168 towns in Connecticut. He is also a Red Sox and New York Giants fan.
He plans a trip to Fenway Park when it reopens. Other than that, he’ll rest up and then “tackle some things he needs to do around the house,” he said.
It’s unclear at the moment if his office partner Mary Biedermann will “play that funky music” after April 1, Ed’s last day. But to those of us who heard our favorite oldies, waiting on line (and in no hurry to leave), Ed’s great taste in tunes will boogie on in our memories.
“Yeah,” Ed says, “Everything from Sinatra to Zappa is on my iPhone. Sometimes I just scramble it.”
Longtime Easton resident Debbie Klein was despondent at hearing the news. “He always listened to the best classic rock. He had an earring! A really nice and helpful man.”
Dolly Curtis, herself something of a legend in Easton, is “so sorry to lose Ed. He always treated me so kindly. He had a little twist in his comments that were fun. I’ll miss having his help. Darn it!”
“Oh no!” cried Easton CPA Leslie Minasi, a regular post office patron, who “loves his taste in music” and says “he was always very knowledgable and helpful.”
Adrienne Burke, owner of Greiser’s Coffee and Market, right next door, summed it all up. “He has been part of the fabric of Easton. One of the truly authentic and lovable characters in town. The Greiser’s staff has learned that he has great taste in music and sees more live rock than all of us put together. We will miss him, but he sure deserves to enjoy his retirement.”
Older residents may see Ed Perkowski as a character in the “Newhart Show” for his mix of deadpan humor, unlikely talents and quirks and good-hearted, professional service to our community.
Ed, Mick Jagger sang it just right, “Really gonna miss ya.”
Captain Richard Doyle — soon to be Easton’s next police chief — took this photo of Ed Perkowski on his his next-to-last day at the Easton post office.
