When the 65th birthday of Marita Bailey Thompson, the former Postmistress of Mangrove Bay Post Office in Somerset, was looming, she modestly made plans for two events that had great sentimental meaning for herself and her family.The first was to have a joint birthday celebration on December 15 and at the same time a retirement party to mark the ending of 39 years and nine months of dedicated service to the Bermuda Post Office, the last 25 years being the Mangrove Bay Postmistress.The second was to cruise to the Panama Canal with her siblings and close friends and see firsthand the project their father had a hand in building as a young man before coming to Bermuda, and about which he had so many fascinating reminisces.Marita is back home with the rest of the Bailey clan humbled at having been able to spend Christmas in Bermuda before bringing in the New Year while travelling on the high seas. Visiting Panama and the canal was a mind-blowing experience for them.She’s vowing , as she said at the retirement party at the Post Office, to “take it light” for the next three months before orbiting with some of the various projects to which she has devoted her considerable energies and talents.More than 300 persons from all walks of life, braving blustery weather attended her retirement party, many bringing flowers, cards and other tangible tokens of their esteem and appreciation for the friendly and expert service rendered by the post mistress and staff over the past quarter century.Marita voiced her thankfulness to the Almighty for being blessing with the ability to retire so magnificently, especially in view of the health problems she had encountered several months beforehand.