FedEx driver to retire after 39 years of serving Blaine

FedEx driver David Grayston will retire after 39 years serving the Blaine community on Saturday, June 1.

Grayston, 64 of Blaine, had his first day on the job with FedEx in 1985. He had been a subcontractor for the company when it expanded into Bellingham and decided to give delivery a try.

He remembers on his first day being sent out with an engineer who was designing routes. They took what would become Grayston’s beginning route: Bellingham, Ferndale, Custer, Birch Bay, Blaine, Sumas, Nooksack and Everson.

In the nearly four decades since, Grayston’s route gradually shrunk to the area he serves today, which is mostly the city of Blaine, minus Semiahmoo and new developments on H Street. Grayston said he’s watched generations of families grow, from the death of parents to the birth of children.

“You’re on your own driving around, watching the seasons change, getting to know people, their joys and their sadness too,” he said. “The circle of life.”

Grayston has gotten to know people on his route through little interactions, such as bonding about their love of horticulture. The smaller pieces make the bigger picture, he said.

“I wish I would have kept a journal, so I could have written a book about it,” he said.

Over the years, Grayston has watched both the world, and his employer, change. He said most people don’t realize the time pressure FedEx drivers face, with cameras in the vehicle to track their productivity.

When he first started, Grayston’s nearest coworker was in Bellingham; now there are two FedEx drivers in Blaine.

In the weeks leading to his retirement, Grayston has been wearing his white uniform from 1985. After his last day working, Grayston plans to volunteer at Peace Arch State Park, travel to Europe with his wife Donna, and take his terrier Rudy on more walks.