JAY – Larry Melcher has turned wrenches most of his life.

He started doing mechanic work at a local garage in high school, went to college to study automotive technology, spent 21 years in the private sector and will retire as the head mechanic and shop foreman at the Jay Highway Department Garage on Dec. 29.

The 61-year-old Melcher, who turns 62 next month, has worked for the town for 16 years.

“Being a mechanic has been an enjoyment,” Melcher said. “They used to say it was a grease monkey but not now.”

It’s more technical now, he said.

“You still get greasy but it’s a variety of everything. It used to be that way but not anymore,” Melcher said.

The 1963 Jay High School graduate spent his early years in New Hampshire and moved to Jay when he was 3. He has lived there ever since.

Three years ago, Melcher was named shop foreman in charge of taking care of staying in compliance with state and federal environmental safety regulations.

He has maintained everything in town – there are 83 units including firetrucks, plow trucks, heavy machinery, buses, cruisers and sewer equipment.

“I run it like a business,” he said.

He doesn’t know exactly what attracted him to the mechanic field because even in high school he didn’t exactly know what he wanted to do.

He took a test to get into Maine Vocational Technical Institute, now Southern Maine Community College, and was accepted. That’s when he entered the field on a more permanent basis.

“I’ve done it all my life,” he said. “When I was in the private sector I enjoyed meeting people. You get to meet a lot of people … I’ve enjoyed working with the guys here.”

There are a mix of personalities here, he said, and everybody gets along well with each other.

Melcher walked around the garage Wednesday, the place quite orderly with everything in its place.

Danny Latham, another town mechanic, was working on a school bus.

“You’ve got to keep you’re house clean,” Melcher said. “You cannot be hunting for things all the time. It’s a big safety issue. That’s what we try to operate on – safety.”

Melcher, who also spent 10 years as fire chief and 34 years as a firefighter until 2004. believes that he’s given back to his community.

“It’s been enjoyable,” he said.

Melcher is married, for 41 years now, to Elaine Melcher, his high school sweetheart, who retired in June as a bus driver for SAD 36.

“We’re going to take three months of the winter and go south and then come back and hopefully enjoy retirement and hopefully we’ll be healthy,” he said.

The couple has a fifth-wheel camper and has camped since 1990 and plan to continue camping and spending time with friends and family. He expects he also will visit his son’s garage, he said.

The Melchers were in the same class in high school and when they went to a reunion were informed that they were the only couple to have stayed together.

“Isn’t that something?” he said.