There’s something about Shiela.
The warm smile. The quick wit. The apparently effortless way to connect a random name to an accurate address.
The latter came to an end when Shiela McCully retired from the U.S. Postal Service after 24 years.
Hugs all around
She was feted with a farewell gathering hosted by Tammy Haataja at the Long Beach Post Office before it opened to customers Wednesday.
“We have been planning this for quite a while,” said Haataja, who baked cupcakes for the occasion. “We really do appreciate you.”
Former colleague Kiko Hightower stopped by and there were hugs all around — and a few tears.
McCully would have preferred a quieter, in fact anonymous, departure. “I have got to wrap my head around this,” she said in an earlier interview when asked about retirement plans. “I have worked with some wonderful people. I am going to miss my customers.”
After more than 20 years at the Long Beach office, she concluded her career supervising the Seaview office for the past three years. Hand-delivered mail in zip code 98644 was a little heavier during the last few days because patrons stopped by to drop off kind cards.
As they shuffled up to the five-foot-wide service counter, some clearly having made a special trip and not intending to buy stamps or mail packages, McCully was grateful if somewhat embarrassed.
She worked under six postmasters.

Fan club

Mark Scarborough, who led the Long Beach office from 2010 to 2022, is among fan club members. “Her commitment went far beyond expectations — day in and day out, year after year,” he said. “Shiela’s exceptional work ethic and her deep roots in the community made her an irreplaceable member of the customer service team.”
Much of her value beyond friendly customer service was her memory.
“She could recognize a misaddressed letter simply by the name — sometimes even when the recipient had moved off the peninsula years ago,” Scarborough added. “Her knowledge and care were second to none.”
Chinook Observer editor Matt Winters also sang her praises. “Shiela’s customer service was extraordinary. I can’t count the number of times she came to the rescue to make sure newspapers were delivered to whom they were intended.”
McCully acknowledged the skill and the compliments, but said it was because of her longevity. “lt’s those friendly customers that come in and you learn their names,” she maintained.

Retirement plans

For retirement, McCully, who lives with husband Glen on three acres in Ocean Park, said there are no huge plans, although she hopes to continue her hobbies of gardening and swimming.
McCully was originally from Seattle. She moved to the Long Beach Peninsula about 45 years ago and worked at Jack’s Country Store and The Dennis Co. before beginning her federal service.
She’s guarded when the conversation turns to the future of the Postal Service, which may face significant changes depending on the direction determined by faraway officials way above her pay grade.
“This is a good thing,” she said, waving toward Seaview’s 571 PO boxes, “and hopefully it does not go away.”