Rockford community remembers letter carrier killed in attacks, say he delivered joy and mail

ROCKFORD, Ill. -- Residents of Rockford, Illinois, are remembering the man they say delivered joy to their homes.

Jay Larson, a long time letter carrier, was one of four killed in a Rockford neighborhood rampage.

Down the street from where Larson ended his postal service, blue balloons rose from mailboxes in his memory, WREX reported.

"And to see it happen for him... is special," said Lawrence Steward II, letter carrier and NALC President.

Larson made a career of delivering mail, but people remember him more for delivering joy.

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"There's nothing about him that was just run of the mill," Steward said. "You know, even describing how he laughs, you don't say laugh... he had a giggle to him."

A postal family through rain, snow, or danger, workers spend their days together, and with the communities they serve more than anywhere else.

"You know, he grew up with people on this route," Steward said. "He made everyone feel like you were the most important person in the world at the time, that you had him in your life."

The route Steward walks was once Larson's. The union representative said people still asked about Larson, even 13 years after he switched neighborhoods.

"The person that was there when you started, and now you're literally walking in his footsteps on his last day living, it just was very surreal," Steward said.

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Larson's footsteps won't be heard anymore, but it is a life and legacy Steward will never allow to fade away.

"I'm sure he had things and bad days, but that never affected how he treated other people," Steward said. "For me personally, and the things that I have, it's do everything with love and always think about how you're affecting other people."

A city-wide procession honoring the fallen carrier will be held Tuesday.

ABC7 Chicago contributed to this report.