More than a mailman: Fresno High neighborhood loses a friend with an unexpected death

Neighbors in the Fresno High area this month were saddened by the untimely departure of Michael Thomas, their sports-loving mailman for half a decade who could brighten neighbors’ moods, even when he was delivering the monthly bills.

Thomas, only 40, died unexpectedly in mid-July after a sudden illness, said his mother, Dorothy Thomas. The neighborhood is feeling the loss of their mailman who forged an uncommon bond with the residents he served.

A shock to the neighborhood

The passing of Thomas left neighbors on morning walks asking one another, “where’s Michael?,” before confronting the shocking news. “Michael died?”

Built like the former high school running back and track man his mother Dorothy said that he was, Thomas was a fixture striding through the neighborhood near North Palm and East Clinton avenue. He wore a broad-brimmed hat to shield his face from the heat of the Fresno sun, and the chatter of sports talk from his radio announced his presence before he appeared on the sidewalk.

‘Always a smile’

“(Michael) always had a smile and a wave,” said Valerie Gibbons, who lives on North Farris Avenue.

Said Patricia Smithey, who lives on East Harvard Avenue:

“He was a super nice guy. Really friendly.” Smithey remembered he would go out of his way to stash packages so they wouldn’t be easy prey for porch pirates.

Fans on social media

Alisa MacCormac, another Harvard Avenue neighbor, said Thomas was “the sweetest guy.” She recalled telling him that he was getting high praise on the social media app Nextdoor.com.

“I told him ‘everybody in the neighborhood thinks you’re great,’” she said.

“‘That makes my day,’” he replied, with his ever-present smile.

Said Jeanette Nishimori on Harvard: “I called him ‘my postman.’ He seemed to like that.”

Neighbor Ron Orozco offered him water on his route and noted Thomas was an avid student of Fantasy Football.

An illness out of the blue

The illness came out of the blue, said Dorothy Thomas.

It happened after he came back from the gym with a headache, and asked for some Tylenol, before spending the night at her home. He didn’t feel well the next day and stayed home from work.

Michael Thomas died the next day, just three years after the death of his father, Jimmy Ray Thomas, with whom he shared the love of sports and trading cards.

Dream of his own store

His dream was to one day open a store dealing sports cards, said his mother. Thomas became a postal worker, first in the Mayfair District, after working in retail jobs.

It was through the sound of Thomas’ sports radio that Vincent Navarro discovered they were kindred spirits. Both were fanatics for cards, and sometimes bought and sold them on eBay.

“Every time I would see him, he would ask, ‘Did you see the game?’” said Navarro, who lives on Farris Avenue.

Thomas probably had the makings of a major league scout in a sport like baseball, Navarro said.

Early on, Thomas gave him a tip that the Dominican Republic’s Elly De La Cruz, an infielder with the Cincinnati Reds, was going to be a sensation.

He was also looking for a bright future from Corbin Carroll of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The two rookies are among the best performing players in the National League this year.

“Life is crazy and short”

Navarro was looking forward to getting to know Thomas better. Maybe watching some games.

“It just sucks that we had the conversation, and now he’s gone,” he said.

“Life is crazy and life can be short.”

In addition to his mother, Thomas is survived by his sister, Anita Thomas, of Swartz Creek, MI; three brothers: Jimmy Brown of Flushing, MI; Ryan Thomas of Augusta, GA; Reginald Thomas of Fresno; and four nieces, six nephews, one uncle and three aunts.