Locals celebrate a man for all seasons

Published 4:00 pm Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Victor Carey starts his days early. He is on the road by 5:30 a.m., driving in all types of weather from Seaside to the Tillamook United Parcel Service (UPS) station out by the air museum.

He gets his truck loaded, heads north, and spends the day delivering packages to businesses and residents of north Tillamook County for UPS, a job he has been doing for 17 years. He then drives back to Tillamook, gets his own car and drives back to Seaside.

Victor has been the object of some very posi

tive but still less-than-welcome attention for the last few weeks. Rather a shy man, he has had to endure the sight of his customers and friends around the area wearing buttons with his picture on them that say, “Every day is St. Vic’s Day”, and “We love our UPS man.”

The idea of Stephanie Simpson at Salt and Paper in Manzanita and Carol Grandy, “The Folding Fool,”an origami artist who lives in Wheeler, the buttons were created by Nehalem artist Elsa LeBaw.

As Simpson distributed the buttons, she had to keep calling LeBaw for more, they were so popular.

Why so much attention for one person? That is the question asked of community members who just happened to be wearing buttons … or who merely overheard the question.

Judson Moore of Unfurl said of Victor, “He’s a connection for all of us to the outside world. Without UPS and Victor, we’d have trouble having a business.”

Suzy Freeman, also of Unfurl, stated enthusiastically, “He feels like a partner in your business!”

Rosie Torian said, “He is gracious, kind, always has a smile, is uplifting. He’s a valuable part of this community.”

“He’s a great guy, he’ll go the extra mile for any of us. My suspicion is he has increased UPS’ revenue in this area significantly,” declared Stephanie Simpson.

Tobi Nason of Overboard said, ” Victor goes to extra effort for us, takes time to ask how you are. He spices up his day by knowing his customers.”

Bunny Frost and his helpers at Manzanita News and Espresso added, “He’s personable, he smiles a lot, he gives treats to dogs. He even smiles while carrying 90 pounds!”

Jan Dawson of Mother Nature’s: “Victor is sincere and caring. He is just a delightful soul who oozes good humanity.”

Doris Bash of Creative Fabrics in Wheeler: “Victor always goes out of his way to make sure deliveries are correct. He always has a smile, and no matter how heavy the freight, he is always happy to see us.”

Mary Lou Tierney of Trillium in Wheeler has known Victor since she worked at Tillamook Bay Community College. She said, “Victor is always so pleasant! He always knows where to find you.”

“Victor goes the extra mile to give good service. He is always smiling. He is a ray of sunshine in a brown suit. Everyone is always happy to see him coming, not just for their deliveries, but because of who he is,” exclaimed Linda Janac of Foxgloves in Nehalem.

It is not just business owners who feel this way about Victor.

“As far as human beings go, he’s doing a really good job!” asserted Brenna Hamer.

According to Gwendolyn Endicott, Victor is “an ordinary man doing an extraordinary job.”

“Victor enjoys his job and the people he deals with more than anyone else I know. He brings a smile to the face of everyone he encounters,” Craig Mackie observed.

Sarah Simmons tells a story that sheds considerable light on the phenomenon of “Victor Appreciation.” During a December snowfall, she looked out her front window to see Victor carrying three large packages up her very steep hill … in his shorts, and running. He’d had to park his truck at the bottom of the hill.

By Christmas Eve, 115 Victor buttons were being worn around the three villages of Wheeler, Nehalem, and Manzanita. During his Christmas Eve stop at Salt and Paper, Victor was presented with a huge card with a variation on Clement Clark Moore’s beloved verse, “T’was the Night Before Christmas.”

The card, signed by sixty to eighty Victor lovers, read:

T’was the night before Christmas

When all through the town,

Not a creature was stirring

Except our guy in brown.

The boxes were all stacked

by the back door with care,

In hopes that St. Vic

would soon be there!

Inside was the simple message, “We love you Victor!”

Victor’s wife, Shannon, has some worried moments in bad weather or around the holidays when Victor doesn’t get home until late, sometimes as late as 8:30. Maybe it will help her to know how many of his friends are keeping an eye out for him.

Simpson was in awe as she took the card around to be signed saying , ” There is so much love out there for him!”