Meet the new 45817 postmaster - Darrell Von Sossan
45817 has a new postmaster. He's Darrell Von Sossan of Ottoville, who started here on June 30. The new postmaster is a career employee with the United States Postal Service, where he first started as a clerk-carrier in Van Wert in 1988.
Von Sossan accepted the Bluffton position after serving as postmaster of Leipsic, 45856, since 2000. He replaces Danielle Laing who served the Bluffton post office as officer in charge since August 2011 when Everett Collier retired as postmaster.
Laing is now the officer in charge at the Leipsic post office.
Von Sossan is a Putnam County native, graduating from Ft. Jennings High School in 1984. He and his wife, Theresa, are parents of three children, Holly, a 2012 Ottoville High School graduate who will attend the University of Dayton this fall, Courtney, 16, who will be a sophomore at Ottoville this fall, and Eric, 14, who will be an Ottoville eighth grader.
With Von Sossan, the Bluffton post office has 13 full- and part-time employees.
Bluffton postmasters?
Originally established as Croghan in Putnam County
Daniel L. Goble, 1837?
Erastus Thompson, 1846?
William McDermot, 1852
?Changed to Allen County by 1854
?Erasmus Thompson, 1854?
Miles W. Vance, 1856?
Erastus Thompson, 1861
?Changed to Bluffton on Aug. 7, 1861
?Erastus Thompson, 1861
?Jacob Moser, 1864?
Robert D. Murray, 1865?
Abram Long, 1866?
Andrew Hauenstein, 1868
?Edwin Edsall, 1871
?John Martin, 1871?
Andrew Hauenstein, 1877
?Milton G. Smith, 1885
?John H. Patterson, 1889
?William P. Bentley, 1890
?Henry L. Romey, 1894
?Russell B. Day, 1898
?George H. Lewis, 1907?
Gibson Locher, 1916?
Maurice M. Murray, 1924
?Edward R. Reichenbach, 1934
?Ralph Stearns, 1956?
Woodrow W. Little, 1965
?Donald I. Gudakunst, officer in charge, 1975?
Albert Callihan, 1976?
Roger E. Neal, officer in charge, 1983?
David L. Boisvert, 1984?
Robert A. Schaefer, officer in charge, 1986
?Cheryl L. Stacy, officer in charge, 1987?
Mark D. Keisay, officer in charge, 1987?
James A. Ribley, officer in charge, 1987
?Jerry L. Burkholder, 1987
?Gary S. Levitt, officer in charge, 1991?
Barbar A. Spearman, postmaster, 1992?
Michael R. Hoehn, 1995
?Margaret Wray, 1998
?Everett G. Collier, 1998
Danielle Laing, officer in charge, 2011
Darrell Von Sossan, 2012
Stories Posted This Week
Thursday, May 1, 2025
- Angel M. Langhals owned LFE/API Meters
- Allen Co. task force targets target sex and human traffickers
- Blessing of the Bikes, May 4
- Metzger honored at 2025 Black Swamp Council meeting
- Volunteer invitation for Bluffton Pathway Count in May
- Pirate tennis edges Ottawa-Glandorf
- Bluffton EMS station staffing goes 24/7 on May 1
- You are what you eat: Link to immune system
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- Observation deck added to Motter Park cascading pools project
- Bluffton Women in Business meet May 15
- Four sportsmen stock 200 trout at Buckeye Lake
- Pirate girls, boys 2nd at Minster track quad
- Pirate baseball win vs. Riverdale
- Pirate softball loss vs. Riverdale
- Field reports from NW Ohio wildlife officers