July 3, 2006

Postal worker hits 40-year mark without taking sick

A garden full of chemical-free food makes for a healthy life for Carol Darwin

By Laura Rheinheimer
Times intern

In her 40 years of working for the United States Postal Service, Carol Darwin has never used a sick day. She said when she was younger she never missed a day of school.

Carol Darwin’s secret for staying healthy lies in her positive attitude and the food she grows in her garden. In 40 years, the Willow Glen resident has never taken a sick day. Photo by Laura Rheinheimer

In more than eight decades on earth, this vibrant woman just never gets sick. What is her secret?

“You might say it’s a positive attitude. I don’t think about getting sick,” Darwin said. She doesn’t think about retirement, either. She has no plans to stop working, retirement is “for the young people,” she said.

She works well into the night—6 p.m. until 2:30 a.m.—hours she has kept for her stay with the postal service. At work, she sorts the mail at the processing and distribution center on Lundy Road in San Jose.

In addition to an optimistic outlook, Darwin said her impeccable health is likely attributed to homegrown food, abstaining from drinking and smoking and engaging in plenty of exercise.

Darwin keeps a lush garden where she grows an impressive variety of vegetables, fruits and herbs. She wouldn’t dream of chemically treating her plants; she cares for them daily and allows them to grow naturally.

When Darwin moved into her Willow Glen home in 1966, she started growing fruits and vegetables, an endeavor that blossomed into a garden large enough to feed herself and some of her family members and coworkers. Grape vines line trellises at the entrance of the garden and rows of zucchini plants are just starting to flower. Lemon and orange trees stand in the front of her one-story home, while apple trees spot the backyard garden. She grows peppers, chayote, apples, figs, beets, herbs, grapefruit, cabbage and more.

“Gardening is her passion,” said Cleo Constantin, Darwin’s daughter.

Every day, she uses the fruit of her toils to pack a lunch of fresh vegetables, a portion of protein and a portion of starch. Some days, she brings enough to share with coworkers.

Darwin has a large heart when it comes to her coworkers. She gives away her accumulated sick and vacation days to those who need it.

She also volunteers for many activities at work, including serving as secretary for the USPS Accident Benefit Association for 25 years. She has received a number of awards, including a plaque she keeps on the wall that reads: “For sincere and devoted effort.” She said she signed up the most members—150 in three months—and was awarded with the plaque and $50 bond.

Other achievements in Darwin’s life include giving over a gallon of blood—commemorated with a gold heart pin—in her lifetime.

She has one daughter, two grandchildren, five great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.