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Perfect ending

After 30 years, employee retires with no sick days

Kansas City, MO, Retail Associate John Bryde handles a package before his retirement. Image: KMBC
Kansas City, MO, Retail Associate John Bryde handles a package before his retirement. Image: KMBC

There are great attendance records, and then there are perfect attendance records.

John Bryde, a Kansas City, MO, retail associate, retired last week after 30 years — and not one sick day.

Making Bryde’s feat even more impressive is that his parents were told that due to his autism, he’d never hold a job.

His parents ignored naysayers and encouraged their son’s ability to memorize numbers — a skill that has paid off at the South Troost Post Office.

“You shout out an address … and he can tell you what ZIP Code, what zone it goes to and what carrier it belongs to,” Kansas City Customer Services Supervisor Willie Bowles told a local TV station.

“It’s amazing, because you can put two or three clerks together and we won’t know that.”

Bryde will miss his job, but he’s looking forward to retirement. When asked his plans, he said, “Work in the yard and go to religious services.”

Bryde’s co-workers admire his dedication. “Thirty years and no sick leave, that’s amazing by itself,” Bowles said.

Bryde’s family is proud of how he defied the odds.

“Some people climb mountains. Some people do marathons. My brother’s done 30 years with no sick days,” John’s brother Joe said.

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