COOS BAY �” Dobermans don’t intimidate Terry Lathrom. Pit bulls aren’t a problem, either. But the veteran mail carrier knows better than to cross a chow.

“You never know what’s in their head,” he said. “They can look cute when you go by, but the next thing you know, they turn on you.”

Canine behavior is but one of many areas of expertise Lathrom refined over 38 years in the employ of the U.S. Postal Service before retiring last month.

He learned how to sort mail in near darkness, navigate debris-strewn streets during winter storms and pick out misdirected packages.

Perhaps the most important thing he learned, however, was that his job didn’t end at delivering the mail.

“I’ve always treated people like people, not like they are numbers,” he said.

So when someone got sick on his route, he would check to make sure they were all right. He went on fishing trips with his customers and helped out if things went well on a hunting trip.

“I can’t tell you how many deer I’ve helped pack up and take into the garage,” he said.

And while Lathrom learned the tricks of his trade, residents in Eastside and parts of Bunker Hill got to know him. Lathrom took over the route in 1979, and was still crossing Isthmus Slough Bridge in his mail truck up until Halloween, when he made his last delivery.

Lathrom liked the continuity. His customers got attached to him, too. He’d find loaves of bread and batches of cookies waiting for him in mail boxes. On one particularly warm summer day, someone even left him a plastic bag full of ice with a Pepsi in it, Lathrom’s favorite.

“They take care of you,” he said.

Coos Bay’s postmaster, Kelly Muntifering, has never seen someone stay on the same route for so long.

“He delivered Christmas presents to kids on his route and then he was delivering Christmas presents to their kids,” he said. “He was a great fit.”

Lathrom got his start by delivering copies of The World as an 8-year-old in North Bend. He got help from his siblings.

“When I used to deliver The World, I would think it would be nice to have a job where I didn’t have to go out in the rain and worry about getting dog bites,” Lathrom said.

His siblings eventually took over the paper route and Lathrom soon returned to pounding the pavement as a temporary worker for the North Bend Post Office. He took on a job for the Christmas season during his senior year at North Bend High School.

After graduating in 1971, Lathrom went to work full time at the post office, though he didn’t have a specific route.

“Whatever they wanted, I did it,” he said.

In May 1976, they asked him to help the staff in Coos Bay. It was supposed to be a temporary loan, but Lathrom would never go back.

He delivered everything from live chickens to car parts, medicinal marijuana and even human remains. One time a package full of crickets came through the mail.

“We had crickets running all over the post office,” he recalled.

By the time he hung up his uniform, Lathrom had logged more than 1 million miles in his truck without getting in an accident. He also developed a strong following in the office.

Perry Boatright, who has worked at the post office since 1982, considers Lathrom a member of the family.

“He’s been there for anyone when they needed him,” he said. “You could always ask him because he always knew.”

And when Lathrom needed to give someone advice, he always did it in a friendly manner.

“He had a way of putting it. He’d say, ‘I don’t mean anything bad by this, but...’” Boatright said.

Lathrom helped people even when he wasn’t on the job. An Eagle Scout, he remained active in the Scouting community for more than 30 years. He also joined the North Bend Police Department reserve force and rose to the rank of lieutenant.

He expects to keep up with his police work in retirement and spend time with his dad and brother, both of whom are grappling with health problems.�  This month he was out searching for the missing North Bend man on the North Spit.

Lathrom is in pretty good shape considering the bad weather and angry dogs he had to face. He said dogs bit him about a dozen times, though he hasn’t any problems the past 20 years. Even the canines knew better than to give trouble to such a faithful delivery man.