'He delivered joy:' Cary neighborhood celebrates retiring UPS driver

“He did a lot more than deliver packages. He delivered joy when he came,” said Liz Riegal, who has lived on Silver Lining Lane for 19 years.

“Every day I saw him was a little boost of joy," she added.

Riegal and her neighbor, Mary Ellen Bruno, teamed up to organize a celebration for Simmons when they found out about his retirement.

“The responses and the replies were unreal,” said Bruno. “He just really has a special gift of just being so friendly and like he’s been waiting all day to see you. That’s how he would make you feel.”

It took just one post on Nextdoor, and the two women soon had more than 70 greeting cards from a neighborhood of about 200 homes.

On Friday, more than a dozen people showed up with signs, balloons and cardboard cutouts of a UPS truck.

"It made me feel good. I felt like I made a difference,” said Simmons. "I just tried to do the best I could every time I was out there.”

Simmons is capping off 40 years with UPS. He began his career when he was 23 years old and worked his way up to become a driver. He’s been on the road for the last 32 years.

“I meet people from all over the world in my job but what I found is that respect is universal,” he said.

On hot days, cold days, long days and holidays, neighbors say Simmons always went above and beyond.

“He would knock on the door and say, ‘It was raining when I left it. Did you get it? Is everything okay?’” recalled Bruno.

Simmons cared for his customers like his own family, which is growing. His 6-month-old granddaughter, Marley, sealed the deal on his decision to step away before the holiday season when Santa buries him in boxes.

“Not this Christmas,” he said. "God willing, I’ll be there with her drinking eggnog. Relaxing.”

Neighbors say they won’t soon forget Simmons’ big voice and big smile, and they are thankful for the many years he brought joy to the neighborhood.

"You remember there is a goodness in the world when you see somebody like that,” Riegal said.