PITTSFIELD – Instead of an end-of-the-year Christmas turkey bonus, Lawrence Wyman opened up a letter from his employer Friday afternoon and found a $19,000 check.

Standing beside him was his wife, Charlene Wyman.

She also got $19,000.

“That’s $38,000 for the two of us. We just can’t believe it,” Lawrence said from his Pittsfield home later. “I’m headed to the bank. They stay open ’til 6 and we better make a deposit.”

Called together about 2:30 Friday, each of the 200 employees of San Antonio Shoe in Pittsfield was presented with a gift of $1,000 for every year each had worked at the shoe manufacturer.

Even those newly hired and who had worked less than a year got a $500 check. It is estimated that the gifts totaled more than $200,000.

“They called us all together and said we would each get $1,000,” said Wyman. “Everyone started clapping and then they said it would be $1,000 for each year worked.”

And that’s when the tears flowed.

Paula Stoddard also got a check for $19,000. “This will enable us to do a few things that we had been putting off, saving for. We’re going to redo the bathroom – my husband is disabled with Parkinson’s disease – and get a new kitchen floor, and of course, pay some bills. This is certainly going to mean a few extra things for Christmas.”

Stoddard said, “This company does a lot for us all year round.” Each employee gets a Mother’s Day or Father’s Day gift. There are bags of candies at Halloween and a summer barbecue. “They have always treated us so well.”

SAS Pittsfield is a division of the parent company located in San Antonio. The corporate offices were closed Friday afternoon and officials could not be reached for comment. A letter included with each check said the gifts had been a longtime dream of the company and were also in appreciation to employees for standing by the company during hard times. The letters were unsigned.

Wyman said he started working for Northeast Shoe 42 years ago and stayed on when SAS bought the company about 20 years ago.

“There’s no retirement funds in the shoe business,” he said, “so this is going to come in real handy.” Now semiretired, Wyman and his wife are headed to Florida for Christmas. “I’m going to eat at the Outback. They have the best steaks, and I’m not going to look at a single price on the menu,” he said.