Postmaster Oversees Delivery of 15 Million Pieces of Mail Annually

• Name: Elizabeth DeVincenzo, 57, has been the Montville Township Postmaster for twenty years.  Thirty-nine years ago, DeVincenzo turned a sometime job, as a substitute mail carrier, into a career with the United States Postal Service. “There were so many opportunities,” said DeVincenzo about the USPS. “I love my job. I love it.” When she became a Postmaster, she was assigned to Towaco. At that time, each of Montville Township’s Post Offices had its own postal carriers who sorted the mail. Today, the sorting is done in Kearny, NJ, and, as the Montville Postmaster, DeVincenzo coordinates all postal carriers for Montville, Pine Brook and Towaco.
• Family: DeVincenzo is one of nine siblings. There is ten years difference between and oldest and youngest sibling. “I talk with each of my siblings every day,” said DeVincenzo. “We’re very close.”
• Marriage: DeVincenzo has been married for twenty-one years.
• Part of Town: During high school, DeVincenzo’s family moved from East Orange, NJ to Schneider Lane in Montville. All of her siblings continue to live in the surrounding area. DeVincenzo and her husband live in Boonton.
• Postage: “[Today], the second ounce will be going up to twenty cents,” said DeVincenzo. ‘So, to mail a two-ounce letter it will now cost you sixty-four cents instead of sixty-one cents. First class will stay the same.” Therefore, postage for a one ounce letter will remain forty-four cents. DeVincenzo encourages customers to purchase “Forever” stamps, which are always accepted, no matter what the postage rate becomes.
• Current Activities: DeVincenzo likes to stay busy. She volunteers for Montville Rotary, and the Montville Chamber of Commerce. She is also very active in the Boonton Historical Society.
• Time: DeVincenzo works at the post office from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm five days each week.
• Career:   “Montville handles over 15 Million pieces of mail annually,” explained DeVincenzo. “That's including all classes of mail from Pine Brook, Towaco, and Montville.  We deliver about 350,000 pieces a week.” DeVincenzo manages a staff of 36, including 17 mail carriers. Throughout the nation, the USPS is consolidating resources and looking for ways to reduce staff and save money. One way is through automation. “It’s amazing,” said DeVincenzo. She noted that the biggest change she has seen over her career is in the sorting of the mail. “We used to be the machines,” she said. “Now machines sort the mail.” It takes less than 24 hours for a letter in Morris County to be mailed, shipped to Newark for sorting, and routed toward its final destination.
• Most Memorable Moment: “The one thing that I’m happy of is that my mom and dad saw that I became the Postmaster,” said DeVincenzo.  
• Favorite Thing About Montville: “Most of my brothers and sisters live here in town, said DeVincenzo. “I think it’s a fantastic town. I love the people and I love being the postmaster here.”
• Something You Would Change: “No it’s a nice, small town,” said DeVincenzo. “It’s fine.”
• Hobbies: “Working. I work. I love to work,” said DeVincenzo. “I don’t have hobbies. I have four brothers and four sisters, they’re my hobby. And, I have eleven nieces and nephews.” DeVincenzo also works a second job for the fun of it. “It was my workout plan,” she explained. Years ago, she lived in Lake Hopatcong and worked as a postal clerk in Boonton. She didn’t have to be to work until 2:00 pm, so she would walk from Lake Hopatcong, stop in Denville to work-out, and then walk to work in Boonton. She worked-out so much that they gave her a job. Looking for incentive to get back to a work-out routine, DeVincenzo got a job at a gym in Boonton. Four days a week, from 5:45 to 6:30, she opens a gym. She then begins her day as the Montville Postmaster.
• Philosophy: “I just love life. My family I just adore. My brothers and sisters…the farthest one lives in Sparta.”
• Advice: “It makes a difference when you go to work every day and you enjoy what you are doing. That’s what it’s all about.”

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