Family Celebrates 2nd Thanksgiving with USPS Worker Who Helped Their Father amid Health Crisis

An Illinois family spent Thanksgiving with a familiar and very special guest once again this year.

The Miller family of Aurora welcomed USPS mail carrier Jaylen Lockhart — along with his partner and their young daughter — back to their holiday table for the second year in a row. Their bond began in November 2024, when Lockhart rushed to help 75-year-old Guy Miller after he fell while walking the family dog, as they later shared with Good Morning America.

At the time, 27-year-old Lockhart was working as a substitute mail carrier when he noticed Guy suddenly lose his balance.

“I was on my mail route, looking at my rearview mirror, and I saw that Guy was losing his balance,” Lockhart previously recalled. “He eventually did fall and took his tumble.”

He added, “I did a U-turn, and I got to him as quick as I can, just kind of making sure he was OK.”

Guy, who has diabetes, remembered struggling to get back up before Lockhart reached him. Lockhart said he saw “a lot of blood everywhere,” and quickly began calling out to nearby neighbors while speaking with Guy to figure out how to help.

After Guy gave him his address, Lockhart drove straight to the Millers’ home and knocked on the door. When Guy’s wife, Marcia Miller, answered, he told her what had happened. She and Guy’s daughter — a nurse — immediately rushed to the scene.

“My daughter checked him for a concussion and said, ‘You know, I think we’re OK here.’ So yeah, [we’re] very, very, very thankful,” Marcia told GMA after the incident.

Determined to thank him properly, the Miller family later tracked Lockhart down and got in touch with him and his family. That connection turned into an invitation to their Thanksgiving celebration last year — and the warm tradition continued this year, when they hosted Lockhart again on Thursday, Nov. 27.

This time, the holiday turned into an even bigger milestone: Lockhart proposed to his longtime girlfriend, Sydney Rehm, right there in front of the Millers. He dropped to one knee, presented her with a ring, and she said an enthusiastic “yes.”

“They had the champagne bottles waiting,” Lockhart told GMA in an interview on Thursday. “They greeted us with a great smile. And so it was something that was very embraced and loved.”

Lockhart and Rehm, high school sweethearts, have been together for nearly a decade and share a 2-year-old daughter, Lennyn.

Reflecting on his relationship, Lockhart said, “Sydney embodies what the Thanksgiving spirit is all about, and that’s being thankful and giving. She’s given me the greatest gift ever: love. That’s something that I cherish, and I will for the rest of my life.”

Rehm said the engagement ranks among the happiest moments of her life.

“We’ve experienced ups, downs, highs, lows, and I wouldn’t want to do it with anyone else,” she said of her relationship with Lockhart.

Lockhart now considers the Millers part of his extended family and hopes to welcome them to another major celebration soon — his wedding. He told GMA that since his chance encounter with Guy last year, he has gained not just friends but a new role model.

“I see he’s a great husband. He’s been a great dad, and a great mentor,” Lockhart said. “And I’m just blessed that we’re here for another Thanksgiving, and blessed to have a great role model.”