Villagers mourn friendly postman

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://www.northantset.co.uk/news/Villa ... 5080778.jp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A dedicated postman who served villages around Corby for 17 years has died.
The family of Colin Jacques, 63, of Weldon, only realised how much villagers loved him when cards and letters from people in the communities he served started dropping through their letterbox after his death.

His wife Judy, of Hillside Crescent, has received dozens of cards from wellwishers featuring touching stories about how he helped them while he was doing his rural round.

Dad-of-three Colin continued to do his 42-mile round right up until a few weeks before he died of cancer earlier this month.

Since then, villagers in places including Laxton, Bulwick, Deene, Deenethorpe and surrounding villages have been in touch with his family to say how much they miss him.

Judy, 61, said: "It's just been amazing to find out that he helped so many people.

"He didn't just shove the mail in people's letterboxes.

"He used to drop the mail on one old lady's kitchen table and take her letters back to the postbox. He'd make sure all the old people were OK every day.

"He used to feed lots of dogs when he went out on his round – I used to have to buy dog biscuits from the supermarket each week despite the fact that we didn't have a dog for many years.

"There was even a pig he used to feed and a pheasant that followed his van."

Colin, a keen gardener and fisherman, had been a postman for a total of 28 years, and before that worked in the steelworks.

One card from villagers said: "Colin was not just our postman, he was a part of our village."

Son Darren, 32, said: "He really went above and beyond the call of duty. It's amazed us how many of his customers have bothered to send cards and lots of them came to the funeral."

Mr Jacques also leaves a daughter, Clare, 39, and seven grandchildren; Kyle and Jason, both nine; Melanie, eight; Angel six; three-year-old Alessio and Nico and Harry, both one.

The funeral was on Friday.