The widow of a U.S. Postal Service worker who died while delivering mail to residents in Dallas is speaking out after he collapsed from extreme heat.
Eugene Gates Jr.’s last text to his wife, Carla Gates, was “Love you,” according to the widow, who added that hours after receiving the text, she was informed that he collapsed and died in front of a home in Lakewood, a Dallas suburb.
According to news reports, Mr. Gates, 66, was working in 115-degree weather when the incident took place.
“My husband was trying to complete his assignment, and the heat got to him,” Gates’ wife Carla told local news outlet WFAA. “No one should have been outside working like that when the heat index is that high. No one. Deliver the mail earlier or later, or wait.”
Mr. Gates was rushed to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. When news spread about his passing, dozens of community members showed an outpouring of support for a man who they said was a dedicated and diligent worker for many years.
One resident, Megan Lucus, explained that prior to Mr. Gates’ passing, she had offered him water and a cold towel to cool down.
“He has been my mailman for over a year,” she told Fox 4 News. “He was just the sweetest man. He really was.”
Another resident added that Mr. Gates “loved his job” and treated community members like family.
“That’s so sad that a wife is mourning her husband and children and grandchildren. This neighborhood will mourn him.”
USPS officials have not confirmed Mr. Gates’ cause of death and are waiting for an autopsy report from the coroner’s office, although they did say in a statement that they are “deeply saddened” about his loss.
“On behalf of NALC, I send my deepest sympathies to Brother Gates’s family, friends and colleagues,” National Association of Letter Carriers President Brian L. Renfroe wrote in a statement. “Eugene was a dedicated letter carrier with a long and successful Postal Service career. He will be greatly missed by everyone, particularly his fellow branch members and customers.”
Since the mailman’s passing, the USPS now requires workers to begin their route at 7:30 AM to avoid severe heat conditions. However, Mrs. Gates is advocating that their shifts begin even earlier.
“At 7:30 in the morning, it’s already 88 degrees. That’s not enough,” the grieving wife explained to WHSV. “I do not wish this on anyone.”
She further explained that her husband began his workday at 8:30 AM on the day he died. She said that to fight the heat, “he purchased an ice maker here at the house. And had a cooler that he’d been taking to work for years.”
