Pioneer Maricopa mail carrier Harry Brock, 79, dead

Harry Clayton Brock knew where everything was around Maricopa, and he knew everyone who lived here by name.

He became Maricopa's rural mail carrier rather than the postmaster when both jobs were offered to him in 1953.

“I thought the former would be less confining,” Brock often said.

During his 40-year postal service career in Maricopa Brock was not only a well-known figure, but also a community leader.

Brock, 79, passed away Friday in Chandler.

Brock, an only child, was born to Sam and Mary Noland Brock on Oct. 8, 1932 in Holliday, Miss.

At an early age his grandfather challenged him to read the Bible and these living words guided him throughout his life.

He moved to Coolidge in 1947 where his dad got a job with what would eventually become Southwest Gas Company. Harry met many lifelong friends while attending Coolidge High School and graduated in 1949.

After serving four years as an electronics instructor in the U.S. Navy, he was hired as a rural mail carrier in Maricopa. His route expanded from 70 boxes to 400 and 60 miles to 160 miles through the years.