Lindsay Brandt
When the residents of Sabillasville, Maryland, travel to their local post office, they won’t be seeing the familiar face of their resident postmaster, Sharon Burd, kindly waiting to help them. Sharon Burd (pictured right) of the United States Postal Service retired from her post on September 28, 2014, after almost thirty-one years. “I like working here, because you get to see all local people you know every day,” said Burd.
Burd has been the postmaster at the Sabillasville Post Office since 2006. She started working for the United States Postal Service in 1983, and after working in both Frederick and Hagerstown, she wound up at the Sabillasville location when the post opened in 2006.
Burd grew up and attended school in Upstate New York. She met her husband, Dick, while in school, and they became high school sweethearts. As young high school students, they are pictured on the cover of their year book holding hands. Their family grew to include their five children, sixteen grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. They relocated to Sabillasville, because her husband, who was in the U. S. Navy, was stationed in the area.
Before working for the USPS, Burd taught classes part-time at the YMCA in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. In addition, for a span of twelve years, she volunteered her time as a Brownie and Girl Scout leader in Sabillasville, while also teaching Sunday school at St. John’s United Church of Christ, also located in Sabillasville.
Burd already has big plans for her retirement. She wants to continue the renovation of her 100-year-old house, and to cross a visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum off of her bucket list. She plans to visit the museum with her sisters.
Burd has three sisters and three brothers. Though they reside at various points across the United States, she remains close with her siblings by talking with them each week by phone. She even had a recent surprise visit by her brother, who was in the area during a business trip from New York. She was working around the house and the doorbell rang, revealing her brother. They were able to spend some time together before they went to watch her grandson play football.
Her daughter, Shannon (Burd) Brown, said, “She worked nights for twenty years. She hardly slept, but she did all of this stuff. She is a very good mom, always doing fun stuff. I’m glad she’s my mom; I definitely got lucky in the mom category.”
Daughter, Pamela (Burd) Beard, said, “My mom had an outstanding career with the United States Postal Service. I remember how excited she was to become the postmaster at the Sabillasville Post Office. She was always courteous and professional to all customers. She provided customer service with a personal touch.” Pamela’s daughter and Burd’s granddaughter, Camelia Beard, expressed, “I really enjoyed going to work with my Grandma. I saw the importance of good customer relations. People came to the Sabillasville Post Office from all over the area. She did a great job.”
Her role of mother doesn’t just apply to her actual family. Her coworkers at the Post Office noted how she always said that they were her kids, too. “She worries about us from the time we leave to go on the road until the time we get back,” said Pam from the Sabillasville United States Post Office.
Throughout the years, Burd would bring eggs from her chickens to share with her employees. They even stenciled “Burd’s Eggs” on the cartons.
“It’s going to be sad after all this time,” Burd said. Her coworkers in Sabillasville, including Pam, Davie, and Jay, stated that she was very easy to work for, adding, “We are going to miss her.”
A rather inauspicious opening day of MountainFest at Sabillasville Elementary School in Sabillasville, Maryland, deterred many visitors due to the chilly, misty weather.
