STUART, Fla. — For many businesses in downtown Stuart, their daily routine will never be the same.
They were greeted every day with a smile and a positive attitude. But now, there is a void.
On the streets of downtown Stuart and inside the stores, a rare form of kindness is now missing.
"Just today's world it would be so nice to see other people take some of that," said Patty O'Connell.
A stack of mail sits on the counter inside Gumbo Limbo, but that daily delivery is just not the same.
"The door would open whatever time of day he was coming with the mail and he would say, 'honey, I'm home!' And not just in a low tone, he would yell it to anybody in the store," O'Connell said.
O'Connell said Calvin Berry was so much more than her mailman over the years. He was like family.
"He never came through the door without having something great to say," O'Connell said.
"He came in here every day and talked to us. He didn't just come in and drop the mail, we became friends and we loved Calvin," said April Hope with the April Daze Boutique.
But the 58-year-old went missing last week. One day later, his body found in a canal in Port St Lucie.
"We were shocked at first, and we just prayed that, obviously, it wouldn't turn out as it did. There's a big void here," O'Connell said.
"He made an impact and was just always positive," Hope said.
Gumbo Limbo and April Daze posted tributes on Instagram and offering sympathy to Calvin's family.
"We'll miss him, he's definitely an angel," Hope said.
Now, every time the mail truck drives past, these merchants said they will remember his smile, striking personality, and sweet soul.
"So that's why he stood out because he always came in and he was always happy and you hope that he'll rest in peace now," O'Connell said.
Police said there is no evidence to suspect foul play, but the investigation remains active.
Merchants downtown are still brainstorming ideas on how to honor Calvin.
