Longtime SWLA milkman may be one of the last in the state

LAKE CHARLES, La. (KPLC) - Do you remember who your milkman was growing up? You may not recall, but some residents around Southwest Louisiana can tell you exactly who theirs was because he’s still making deliveries to this very day.

Ray LeBlanc has been delivering milk in Lake Charles since 1970.

After serving in the Air Force, LeBlanc said he needed a job. He has spent 54 years as a delivery milkman with routes from Iowa to the Texas border.

LeBlanc said things have changed a lot since he first started. He said in the early years, he hardly ever used a key to get into a house.

“But the last, I would say last 30 years, it’s either codes, I got to go by to get a garage door opener, I’ve got a set of keys with probably 30 to 40 keys, and then like this stop that I just made, I had to locate the key and then unlock quite a few doors before I could get into the house,” LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc started with 25 other delivery men, and he’s the only one left that does home delivery.

“The nicest thing about this whole job is I’m serving kids that I actually held in my arms when they were babies, and now I’m serving them and they have families. I’m telling on my age, but still, that’s rewarding,” LeBlanc said.

The daily route starts up around 6:30 in the morning, with Tuesdays and Fridays being LeBlanc’s largest routes. In a day, LeBlanc delivers to around 50 or 60 homes, along with large stops like donut shops and restaurants.

“I go in a lot of these homes and no one’s home, so you build a trust from them, and then after a while, you see them so much, you know all their kids’ names, and they know all about your family. It’s just a good job,” LeBlanc said.

We asked LeBlanc if he has plans to retire any time soon.

“I’ve been saying I’m going to do it for five more years for the last 10 years, so I’m gonna give it five more years, I hope, I hope, as long as my health stays good, I’m going to keep working, and so far, so good,” LeBlanc said.

LeBlanc might be one of the last milkmen delivering door-to-door in Louisiana.