Todd “Clubby” Hoffmann retired from the post office after over 27 years of service.

Wednesday was his final day working at the office.

Most people in New Ulm will recognize Hoffmann as the man working the front desk at the New Ulm post office, but he actually began his career working in Springfield as a mail carrier.

After a year working in Springfield he transferred to New Ulm where he worked in the office helping sort mail, but also working as a clerk at the front desk.

Posters of Todd “Clubby” Hoffmann were placed on the front door of the New Ulm Post Office, in recognition of retirement from the Post Office after over 27 years of service. Hoffmann said in retirement his new priorities would be baseball and fishing.

Hoffmann said he started working in the postal service because at the time it was one of the better jobs a person get without a college degree.

He acknowledged the civil service test needed to become a postal worker was difficult, but the benefits of the job were great.

Hoffmann said one of the early challenges of working for the post office was physically carrying letters. Hoffmann was born with a clubbed foot. This is also how he got the nick name “Clubby.”

“When I first started as a mail carrier, I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it long-term,” he said. This was the main reason he transferred to New Ulm.

“For 23 years I came in at 4 a.m. to sort mail,” he said. “I had to do it by hand.”

Hoffmann said it is only in the last few years that mail sorting became automated and this is mostly limited to packaging. He said a lot of the flat envelopes are still sorted by hand, but many of the packages can be sorted by machines.

Hoffmann admitted the sorting of mail could be tedious sometimes. He said there were some people who thought he was crazy for doing this kind of work, but Hoffmann appreciated the incentives.

“It is a stable job,” he said.

For Hoffmann, the most difficult part of the job was working during the Christmas season. During the holiday season, there is a lot of mail shipped, including Christmas cards and packages with presents. It can be a stressful time. It is the part of the job Hoffman will miss the least.

“With retirement, I’ll probably start to enjoy Christmas now,” he said.

News of Hoffmann’s retirement had a big impact on New Ulm postal staff. Co-worker Mary Jane Glawe said Hoffmann would be extremely missed at the post office.

She said one of his special abilities is remembering addresses.

“There are a thousand different P.O. Boxes, but he can rattle off the names by memory,” Glawe said.

Hoffmann confirmed he can match most local names to the correct postal address.

“My wife thinks it’s creepy that I know where everyone lives,” he said.

Glawe said another favorite memory from working with Hoffmann was the time he successfully passed a Homeland Security test.

Hoffmann explained that Homeland Security conducted a safety test of the New Ulm post office by attempting to mail something illegal, but caught and stopped the package. He did receive a special commendation for passing the security test.

Hoffmann said usually when something is mailed illegally it is because of an error. The sender did not know they mailing something illegally.

Helping customers understand the regulations for mailing is part of my job as a mail clerk. Hoffmann said the biggest error people make when mailing items is the address label.

Hoffmann said the number of people who did not know how to address an envelope is increasing. He worries the younger generation is not being educated on how to properly address mail.

Hoffmann decided to retire this year after the federal government offered an early retirement option for postal workers. He qualified for the early retirement offer and accepted it. He said the offer included keeping insurance, which was another big incentive.

Asked what he plans to do in retirement, Hoffman said he plans to take the summer off and do very little. He does plan to attend a lot of baseball games, both locally and at Target Field. He also hopes to get in some additional fishing.