Contact: Dolores (Mohr) Kenyon
E-mail: dolores@wiclarkcountyhistory.org
Surnames: Petranovich, Woodcock, Anderson, Franseen
----Source: Thorp Courier (Thorp, Clark Co., WI) 5/08/2013
Petranovich, Chris (Thorp’s New Postmaster - 1 May 2013)
A new, but familiar face will now greet Thorp citizens stopping by the Thorp Post Office. Chris Petranovich, a longtime resident, was recently officially sworn in as the new Postmaster of the local office and, as of March, has taken over all Postmaster duties.
This year not only marks her first year at the Thorp office, but it also marks her 20th year with the Postal Service. Beginning her career as a clerk in the Withee office in 1993, transferring to Neillsville as a carrier, and then moving up as a Postmaster for the Sheldon Office, she then served as the Actin Postmaster for Fall Creek. Through the past 19 years, Chris has acquired a variety of experiences and skills through the Post Office, but she was always dealing with the distance. “I still found myself driving between 45 minutes to an hour to get to work. I missed out on events with my kids because of the distance,” Chris commented.
When word came through that Thorp’s Postmaster Donn Woodcock would be transferring to the Bloomer office, Chris was thrilled at the opportunity to transfer to the Thorp office. “Now I drive two miles and I’m at work. I look forward to not missing out on events with my kids,” stated Chris, mother of six.
Serving as Thorp’s Postmaster, Chris oversees the operation of the entire office-supervising carriers, the window, and PO boxes while carrying out route inspections and completing reports.
“We’re happy she’s here,” commented Brenda Anderson of the Thorp Post Office.
“It’s been great,” said Chris, commenting on how working at the Thorp office has been since being sworn in. “There are excellent employees and great customers.” But Chris has known about the exceptional community for quite a while some time – living in Thorp with her family and serving the Thorp area through her church and the American Legion Auxiliary, currently serving as the ALA Chaplain.
Looking to her future in Thorp, Chris doesn’t have any plans of leaving the Postmaster position anytime soon. “I look forward to serving the community to the best of my ability for years to come. I’m glad to be here. I hope to retire from this office someday—that’s my goal.”
Pictured Chris Petranovich takes her Oath of Office as Postmaster, administered by Tracy Franseen, Manager of Post Office Operations for Northwest Wisconsin, on Wednesday, May 1, 2013—Chris’s 20-year anniversary with the United States Postal Service.
