The passing of McCann’s Medical’s beloved postal clerk Nancy Norton was devastating news to everyone who knew her.
Mat McCann, owner of the King City Plaza business, lost not only an employee but also a friend.
“She worked for us for about 14 years,” McCann said. “She was the heart of McCann’s. If anyone ever mentioned an employee, it was Nancy. She was such a doll. This is a devastating loss to the community and her business family who all worked with her.”
Norton wore an orthopedic boot the last few weeks she was at work, but that didn’t stop her from doing her job at the Post Office, where she greeted many customers by name.
“She was a tough bird,” McCann said. “She was not going to let anyone tell her she couldn’t work, but she was planning to take a leave for surgery. Things were slow with the coronavirus, and she decided it was a good time to take a leave for her surgery. She had the surgery, and there were complications, and she never came back.
“The staff sent her a letter in her last days. This was just terrible, absolutely terrible.”
Dozens of folks from King City and the surrounding area posted heartfelt messages about Nancy on Next Door, with some reprinted below:
“Today I stopped in at McCann’s to mail masks to a friend,” Melanie wrote. “I was reading a note (about Nancy) posted on the counter, and I immediately started to cry. I was told our Nancy the postmaster there had passed away the weekend of May 5th. Needless to say, my heart is very sad. I truly loved her. She was kind, strong and straight-forward..”
Katy wrote, “Nancy was always so kind to me and my kids every time we stopped by. My daughter used to go behind the counter when she was little (she is now 12), and Nancy would always give her candy and stickers. She always asked about my girl every time I’d stop by to mail a letter. May she rest in peace.”
Jeanie remembered in detail how much Nancy helped her. “Nancy was a very unique lady,” she wrote. “I would have a package to send back to my family in Kentucky, and she would say, ‘We need to put this in a different packaging and send it this way, and you are gonna save over $7 on the package, and you will also have insurance and a tracking number.’
“It got to the point that I just would take my stuff that I was mailing, and she and I would get it packaged, and off it went. This has gone on for years. She was the friendliest person down at McCann’s…”
Nancy was equally helpful to Bonnie, who wrote that “Nancy made McCann’s post office my first choice when I wanted to mail something. I live in Tualatin but always went to mail with Nancy. I will miss her helpfulness and positive attitude.”
Lynn posted, “Nancy knew all the tricks to the USPS and always asked how our exchange student is doing since I have sent packages to Switzerland… and her dry sense of humor! She will be missed.”
Shelley wrote, “My heart is broken. On more than one or two or three occasions, she would make me un-package my box and repackage it to a flat-rate box to get a better rate. I was constantly mailing packages to my kids at school, camps and now to where they live across the U.S., and she would always ask about them and remember ‘when you used to mail things to him in Corvallis.’ I remember her telling me she was having hip surgery and was looking forward to getting better. Truly a treasure. She will be missed. RIP, Nancy.”
People may leave cards for Nancy’s family at the McCann’s Post Office, and McCann’s will make sure they reach her family.
