Beloved Henrico mail carrier who beat cancer gets a surprise

Willie Stone has spent over 40 years delivering more than just mail along the Pinedale Farms postal route in Henrico County — and CBS 6 Gives surprised him with a special delivery of his own.

Stone has made each stop on his route feel less like a transaction and more like a visit from a friend. Neighbors say the feeling is mutual.

"He's the mailman of the century," said Steve Samuel, a neighbor on Stone's route.

But eight months ago, Stone found himself on the receiving end of devastating news. He became ill while on the job.

Doctors delivered a diagnosis that would change everything.

"They said, 'we think it's cancer.' It came back, and it was cancer," Stone said. "Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma ... a rare type of cancer."

After more than six months away, Stone reached remission and rang a ceremonial bell before returning to the community that had been waiting for him. When he finally got back behind the wheel of his mail truck, the Pinedale Farms neighborhood was ready — mailbox after mailbox and yard sign after yard sign carried messages of welcome along his entire route.

Click here to continue reading on WTVR.com, a Henrico Citizen partner organization.