Brenda Mauldin will have her first day of “enjoying life, relaxing and having no stress,” as she put it, on Friday after retiring with 15 years of service to the U.S. Postal Service.

Mauldin has worked at the Holland post office for about nine years, and prior to that did stints in Driver, Chuckatuck, Whaleyville and Crittenden.

“I’ve loved it,” Mauldin said. “I just love the people of Holland, and they’re truly like family. They’re just wonderful, down-home people.”

Her co-workers and community members gave her a party Thursday. Ray Carter of Winning Edge Sport and Trophy delivered a plaque honoring Mauldin, and local residents William Lawrence and Joanne Thompson sang “How Great Thou Art” after learning it is Mauldin’s favorite hymn. Mauldin wore a crown made of postal slips.

Mauldin said she started in the postal service after seeing a position advertised in a post office one day. She began at the remote encoding center before moving on to the post offices around Suffolk.

Mauldin said she plans to just enjoy life in retirement. Her husband has planned a trip from Virginia to the Grand Canyon and many places in between.

However, she said she will miss certain aspects of work — particularly the people of Holland and her employees.

“The people I work with are great, and I’m going to miss them a lot,” she said.