ALTAMONT — Retired Postmaster Robert H. Tetrault, formerly of Altamont, New York died on June 4, 2017 in Jacksonville, Florida. He was 81.

Mr. Tetrault was born in Albany on September 11, 1935, and raised in Albany and Colonie.

He and his wife, Jane (née Petrie) Tetrault bought a house in Altamont in 1963. It was a two-family home on Prospect Terrace and they paid $1,200 cash, Mrs. Tetrault recalled, adding wryly, “My husband loved to do improvements.” There were many to be made, as the house had no bathrooms, no plumbing, and no windows. In 1969 they moved to 154 Maple Avenue.

“We loved Altamont,” Mrs. Tetrault told The Enterprise. “We raised four kids there. We always knew where they were, and we knew their friends.”

He spent 30 years working for the United States Post Office and always used to joke, his wife said, that he “never delivered a letter.” He started out as a mail handler and later moved into customer service.

“They used to put sacks of money onto the mail trains,” Mrs. Tetrault said, “and the guys on the train all worked for the Post Office and they all had guns. They would lie down on top of the sacks and take naps.” Her husband “had kind of an exciting life in his own little way,” she said.  

Mr. Tetrault was an avid golfer and an active member of the Rotary and Elks clubs.

“Anyone lucky enough to have known Bob would remember him driving his hot yellow MGB all around town, probably with his golf clubs in tow, heading to the Western Turnpike, where he played golf for many decades. Thunder and lightning could not chase him off the course,” his family wrote in a tribute.

“Bob wore crazy socks long before it was considered cool and had a great sense of humor,” his family wrote.

“Bob was brave and did all of his own home repairs; he would think nothing of climbing on the roof in the middle of the winter to clear the snow and ice,” his family wrote in a tribute.

Mr. and Mrs. Tetrault traveled to almost every state the U.S. and also made several trips overseas, mostly to Ireland, his favorite destination. They retired to Florida, where he golfed “seven days a week for nearly 25 years,” his family wrote.

“Mostly, he was a kind person, a wonderful husband, and the greatest father ever!” they wrote.

“He was a gentle soul, and he was fun,” Mrs. Tetrault said.

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Robert H. Tetrault leaves behind his wife of 60 years, Jane Petrie Tetrault, and their four children, Maryjane Tetrault; Marjorie Steeves and her husband, Bruce; Lynn Pabalan and her husband, Gerard; and Robert Tetrault Jr.

He is also survived by his grandchildren: Zachary Pabalan; Alexander Pabalan; Michael Pabalan; Cosette Steeves; Vanessa Pabalan and her fiancé, Christopher Mellinger; Jordan Pabalan, and his wife, Brittany; Lydia Tetrault; and Camilla Tetrault.

Mr. Tetrault is also survived by one great-grandchild, Harper Pabalan.

He is also survived by his sister, Beth Call, formerly of Castleton, NY.

Burial will be in St. Agnes Cemetery in Menands.

Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, Tennessee 38105.

— Elizabeth Floyd Mair