Community holds vigil for Park Forest mail carrier
Longtime postal worker died days after being struck by vehicle
The Park Forest community paid tribute Saturday night to a longtime postal worker who died Friday, days after he was struck by a vehicle while delivering mail in the village.
Shawn Nix, 61, of Park Forest, was struck at about 6 p.m. Monday, Oct. 25, by a vehicle turning onto Blackhawk Drive from Miami Street, according to a Park Forest police news release. Nix died Friday morning at John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, police said.
Police chief Christopher Mannino said in a statement mail carriers are vital to their communities, offering friendly and consistent faces in the neighborhoods.
“Mr. Nix was the epitome of that reliability and friendliness,” Mannino said. “The loss of Mr. Nix’s life is heartbreaking, and so many will miss his presence.”
Cache Taylor, who worked with Nix for the past seven years, said he was working overtime when this happened.
“This wasn’t even his route. This was not supposed to happen,” Taylor said.
The driver called 911 and has been cooperating with the investigation, police said. The Suburban Major Accident Reconstruction Team was requested to help with that investigation. Mannino said Saturday the investigation is ongoing and no charges had been filed.
Taylor led the program Saturday in Nix’s honor. Attendees lit candles during the vigil, prayed and offered a moment of silence before releasing balloons including the number “25, Nix’s mail route number. There were shouts of “We love you, Nix” and a collage of photos and his nickname, Super Nix, were displayed on the back of a mail truck.
Nix worked for 27 years with the Park Forest post office, and Taylor said she asked everyone to come together to “pay some type of respect” at the site where he was struck.
“For most of us, he was like family,” Taylor said. “We need to be here to put our respect there and let him know we’re going to miss him and that we love him, and this is completely for him.”
Among those in attendance was Shannon Winesberry, of Chicago Heights. Winesberry said he and Nix grew up together and started working for the U.S. Postal Service on the same day 27 years ago. Winesberry described Nix as loving and fun.
“If you want to laugh, you talk to Shawn,” Winesberry said. “You wouldn’t find a better person. A lot of times, people say that, but that’s the person he was. That’s why everybody’s out here.”
Many described Nix as a hardworking family man who loved his children more than anything. Miriah McMillan, a mail carrier who worked with Nix for the past six years, said Nix was always picking up or dropping off his daughters at school or attending their events.
“He worked so very hard to take care of his family,” she said.
McMillan also said Nix was the type of guy who was not afraid to be himself.
“He was very much an indi
vidual, but he was kind, welcoming to a new face, cracking jokes,” she said.
McMillan said the Park Forest post office is usually a “rowdy bunch,” already joking first thing in the morning. But the tone has been somber for the past week.
“Once everything came out, it was very quiet,” she said.
Steven Swinney, who worked with Nix for 23 years, said the news hurt for many, especially knowing he was leaving behind two daughters.
“He was a great person — opinionated, but a great heart,” Swinney said. “He worked hard and he family’d hard. He’s definitely going to be missed a lot. And the post office is going to miss him because he was a dedicated worker. He didn’t call off. He did the job and then some.”
Joanna Moore, who has lived in Park Forest for 17 years with Nix as her mail carrier for the past seven, said Nix went “above and beyond,” including bringing packages around back, up the stairs and ringing the bell, making sure she never had to worry about her mail.
“Not only me but he was like that with my entire area,” Moore said. “When I tell you that he loved the people in the community he served, he did.”
They regularly saw and interacted with him when he was out with his daughters, and they tried to take care of him on Christmas, hot days, Father’s Day and “just because days,” Moore said.
“We all loved him the same way that he showed love to us,” she said.
Taylor said she always heard good things from people on Nix’s route, never any complaints.
“He would be out there morning to night,” Taylor said. “If we’re going to remember him, we’re going to remember him by being a hardworking man. He did it for his girls. They were his purpose.”
“He would be out there morning to night. If we’re going to remember him, we’re going to remember him by being a hardworking man. He did it for his girls. They were his purpose.”
Park Forest village manager Tom Mick was also on Nix’s usual route. He called the mail carrier’s death “horrible news in what appears to be a tragic accident.”
“Mr. Nix was a wonderful man and a tremendous public servant who lived right here in our village,” Mick said. “He was a fixture for many years on the north end of Park Forest, passing mail in the heat, rain, sleet or snow. He was revered by those on his carrier route, and our family — dogs included — will miss him.”
Taylor said the Park Forest post office will collect and forward any donations to Nix’s family.