Three generations of one family take mail call
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By ELIZABETH HOCHSTEDLER
elizabeth.hochstedler@lee.net
Thursday, August 14, 2008 2:12 PM CDT
When Dennis Brain was growing up, he never intended to work at the Chippewa Falls Post Office, where his father spent 45 years.
Dennis’ son Jason also wasn’t anticipating a postal career.
But that is where they both ended up. Jason now represents the third generation of the Brain family at the Chippewa Falls Post Office.
“It just played out that way,” said Dennis.
Throughout Dennis’ life, his father worked at the post office. Robert Brain was a city carrier from 1948 into the 1990s.
“When I got out of high school, he wanted to know if I wanted to work there, and I didn’t at the time,” Dennis said.
He chose instead to work for the city of Chippewa Falls. But in 1982, he was looking for a part-time job to bring in some extra cash. That job, at the post office, soon turned into a career.
By 1992, Dennis moved to a full-time position and hasn’t looked back since.
“I liked the concept of being outside more and being able to work more with people,” he said.
Dennis runs a rural route covering 600 mailboxes around a large part of Lake Wissota.
His son, Jason also stumbled into a career at the post office. Even though his father worked there, Jason chose a different route.
He had worked in sales. About five years ago, cutbacks left him without a job. He had previously worked a stint with the Eau Claire Post Office, and decided to try postal work again. He asked his father if there was an opening in Chippewa Falls, and it turned out there was.
“Everything just fell right into place for me,” he said. “It was meant to be.”
And once he found his new job, he was drawn in, just as his father and grandfather were.
“Once I started, I just absolutely loved it,” he said.
Jason covers the south side of the city, which is a half walking and half driving route.
But he said he didn’t get any privileges just because his father worked at the post office.
“Everybody goes through the same process of testing,” he said.
Jason also had to survive the 12-14 hour days which nearly everyone is given when they start at the post office.
“You put your time in in order to get where you want to go,” Dennis said.
Even though it wasn’t Jason’s first choice of careers, Dennis wasn’t surprised when his son came to work with him.
“Jason has always been a strong hard worker,” he said. “I knew he’d be an excellent candidate for the job.”
Just another day at work
Both men said they enjoy their jobs, and especially appreciate the day-to-day interaction they have with people.
“If you’re a people person, it’s a good job to have,” Dennis said. “You watch families develop and grow. That’s by far the best aspect of the job.”
Dennis said since he gets close to many of the families on his route, some reward him for his service.
“There’s a cold pop in a mailbox on a hot day and warm cookies on a cold day,” he said.
But Jason and Dennis admit there are some down sides to the job, like weather and animals.
“Weird things happen,” Dennis said.
He once found a 4-foot-long snake in a mailbox, which he thinks someone purposely planted as a joke. And he had a bat fly out of a box once and graze his face.
“The job is unpredictable,” he said.
Jason learned that on his first day when he was bit in the knee by a dog. His dad has also been bitten by a dog.
Both men said although there can be such dangers, it hasn’t stopped them from doing their job.
“It’s kind of a state of mind. As with most jobs, your attitude determines how your day will be,” Dennis said.
Family tradition
With Robert starting in 1948, and Dennis’ service overlapping his father’s, there has been a member of the Brain family working for the post office for the past 60 years.
“My dad just started the tradition,” Dennis said.
Ada Brain, Dennis’ mother, is proud that her son and grandson have followed in her husband’s footsteps.
“It’s just so heartwarming. There aren’t words to really explain it,” she said. “It’s just a thrill to think they think what grandpa did was just the thing to do.”
Robert didn’t live to see Jason become a postal carrier; he died 12 years ago.
Robert was a city carrier downtown. That meant he had to walk the mail across the downtown area twice a day.
“They all walked the routes then,” Ada said. “It’s different now.”
Dennis agreed. “It wasn’t even the same job.”
But in Chippewa Falls, one thing has remained. Someone from the Brain family is always ready to deliver the mail.
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