Phil Thomas was about an hour into his route — the vast majority of the 16 miles he walks every work day still lay ahead of him. After following the same path through the areas around North, Baldwin and Glenwood streets and into Meadville’s Fifth Ward for 10 years, he knew what to expect.
But as he was delivering mail on North Cottage Street one day in March, the veteran letter carrier noticed something different when he arrived at the home of an elderly woman who was a familiar sight on the route.