Arlington Post Office Named After Beloved Mail Carrier Jesus Collazos

ARLINGTON, VA — Local leaders, family members of Jesus Collazos and community members gathered at the U.S. Post Office on N. George Mason Drive in Arlington on Sunday morning for the official dedication of the Jesus Collazos Post Office.

Collazos, a beloved mail carrier in Arlington, died in June 2020 at the age of 67 after being diagnosed with COVID-19. He worked for 25 years as a U.S. Postal Service carrier in Arlington, including at the post office on N. George Mason Drive.

Rep. Don Beyer (D-VA) introduced a bill to rename the Arlington Post Office after Collazos in early 2022. The legislation was signed into law in late 2022 as part of the end-of-year spending package.

"It is my tremendous honor to officially declare the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 2200 N. George Mason Drive in Arlington, Virginia, shall be known and designated as the Jesus Antonio Collazos Post Office Building," Beyer said at Sunday's dedication.

Beyer explained that every member of the congressional delegation from Virginia, both Democrats and Republicans, must agree to the naming of a post office in the state. The post office naming was the first sponsored by Beyer in his more than eight years in Congress.

In the past, attempts to name federal buildings in Virginia often failed due to political bickering between Democrats and Republicans.

"Motivated by Jesus's story," the two political parties agreed to the naming of the Arlington post office, Beyer said. "He actually brought us all together."

Collazos's family, including his wife Luz Miriam and their two children, Vanessa and Michael, plus three grandchildren, were on hand for the event. Many of Collazos's other relatives also traveled long distances to attend the dedication.

Born in Cali, Colombia, Collazos was the first in his family to graduate from high school. He then went on to pursue a degree in accounting. After he immigrated to the United States in 1978, he worked as an accountant and other jobs before deciding to pursue a career with the U.S. Postal Service.

He retired from the USPS in February 2019, planning to spend more time with his grandchildren. In early 2020, Collazos was diagnosed with B-cell lymphoma, an aggressive cancer. While being treated, he tested positive for COVID-19 and was intubated a week later, then suffered a stroke that put him in a coma. He died on June 6, 2020, at the age of 67.

Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey read statements submitted by residents about what Collazos meant to them.

"He knew everyone in the neighborhood," one resident named Susan said. "He made us all feel like we were his friends. We miss him terribly. He made such a positive impact on everyone he met. Naming a post office after him would be a perfect tribute to a great man."

In her remarks at the event, Collazos's daughter, Vanessa Collazos, thanked Beyer, Dorsey and Arlington Postmaster James Bryson. She also thanked Mike Cantwell, president of the nearby Yorktown Civic Association, for leading the community effort to get the post office named after her father.

After learning about Collazos's death during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cantwell reached out to the community to learn more about him.

"The overwhelming response was that this man was loved, admired — just what we want in an Arlington resident," Cantwell's wife, Mary Cantwell, told Patch. "This is a perfect honor for him to have this post office named after him."

Mary Cantwell attended the dedication, representing her husband, who was unable to attend Sunday's ceremony.

Collazos's son, Michael, said the dedication of the post office "is almost like a rebirth for my father."

"It's like the saying, 'Heroes get remembered, but legends never die,'" he told Patch. "That's how it feels to me."

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