Marty - the FedEx guy

The FedEx guy, known only as Marty, has retired after 41 years with the company.

Hardly anyone in Holly Springs can tell you Marty’s last name but they say he is a part of the family

He and his wife, Patty, who also retired from FedEx with 35 years, were celebrated by the Holly Springs community at The Apothecary, where all were invited to come thank Marty and perhaps tell a few stories.

He was born in Memphis, Tenn., and met Patty when both worked as couriers for the company in the Chicago area.

All their moves involved taking a job with FedEx and they eventually landed in an apartment in the Hacks Cross area and later built a home in Collierville in late 1999.

His last name for the record, is Birmingham, “just like the town,” he said.

Marty was a currier in Little Rock, Arkansas, before moving back to Memphis.

When Madge Lindsey was executive director of Strawberry Plains Audubon, FedEx teamed up with Audubon to bring Harry the Hummingbird in Marty’s FedEx truck to the Marshall County Library, where kids would gather to get an upclose look at Harry’s long beak, floppy feet and green shaggy suit.

Marty has worked as courier for Holly Springs, Byhalia, Ashland, Michigan City, Lamar, Potts Camp and Hickory Flat during his 30 years making deliveries in the Holly Springs area.

“I started a couple of weeks before the ice storm of 1994,” he said.

He worked out of Collierville until 2002 when that station was closed. Then he worked the Holly Springs zip code out of the Memphis station. He also covered Byhalia and some of DeSoto County on the way to his Holly Springs route.

Marty worked his last day Friday, Sept. 6. At the young age of 59, he said he will spend some time decompressing. He knows Patty is going to love the reception as much as he.

“She wouldn’t miss this,” he said. “I’ve been making a fool of myself my whole life.”

The idea for the reception, held at The Apothecary Thursday, Sept. 12, was the brainchild of Maia Miller and friends.

“Maia saw me next door at

the house on Memphis Street, and she said, ‘I’ve got to get something together for you,’ “ Marty said.

He demurred.

“She said, ‘Hell no, we’re going to do something.”

Marty’s memories of covering the Holly Springs route go back to the days of Mayor Eddie Lee Smith, Mayor Andre DeBerry, and Lisa Liddy and Sandra Young who worked as city clerks.

The locals say they will miss him.

“I’m happy for him that he’s retiring, but I’m sad for us he’s retiring,” Liddy said. “He’s such a great guy. He’s just so personable. You know how some delivery guys are - they just toss it on the counter and leave. He cared. He remembered your name. And he would check in on people. Joni Ragsdale said he was so sweet to check on her elder mother. He would always make everybody feel special.

“I don’t know if I ever saw him that he wasn’t smiling. If he had a bad day, he sure didn’t show it. He was part of our community. I don’t even know Marty’s last name. All I know is FedEx Marty.”

Retired Chancery Clerk Chuck Thomas enjoyed Marty’s drop-ins in the courthouse office.

“He knows everything about everybody even though he lives in Collierville,” Thomas quipped. “He’s like family. We love him and we are going to miss him.

“I don’t know his last name. All I know is Marty. He’ll be hard to replace.”

“To me he’s like a fixture in Holly Springs,” said Mark Miller.

He said people would say, “Marty knows more about what’s going on in my family than I do. It’s gonna be weird not seeing Marty walk through the door. He’s going to be hard to replace. We are not going to get our packages on time. He’s like dealing with a friend.”

Bill Schneller agreed Marty was fun to joke with.

The two would root for different football teams and Marty “always threatened to call Fred Smith and get me fired,” Schneller said. “He was friendly with everyone and he came in like he owned the office. He didn’t just drop packages off at the front desk. He would go through the whole office and speak to everyone.”

Planning for a reception for Marty began six months ago over drinks at Becky Cupp’s house, according to Maia Miller.

“We kinda got started in Becky Cupp’s parlor,” Miller said. “Marty’s not just someone who delivers packages, we said. He’s a dear friend now. We don’t love him because he brings our packages. He’s made a personal connection with everybody in town.

“When I ask for help (in putting the reception together), everybody said, ‘Oh, we love Marty. We want to help.’ That’s kind of how it started about six months ago,” Miller said. “He’s an easy person to celebrate. He’s such a good guy.”

Miller said Charlie Ferris loves to tell the story of how Marty delivered packages.

She said Marty would deliver Ferris’s Ole Miss season tickets and say, “I know you’re excited about my package today, because it’s your Ole Miss season tickets. He is also remembered for the kindness he showed Joni Ragsdale’s mother when she was confined.

Miller said Marty would drop down on his knees beside Joni’s mother’s chair and speak with her when he made a delivery.