MEXICO — More than 50 people attended a retirement party Friday for John Blais, who served the Highway Department for 45 years, 25 as lead foreman.

The event was a surprise to Blais, who turns 68 in March. “You got me” were his first words when he entered the Calvin Lyons Meeting Room in the early afternoon at the Town Office.

On behalf of the town, Select Board Chair Richard Philbrick presented Blais with a Certificate of Appreciation and a clock. There were people who worked with Blais in the past and present in attendance.

Blais, who began working for the department Dec. 1, 1980, said, “I want to thank everybody and my crew. We had a good crew. And especially my wife. She was there when I started and she was there when I stopped. She put up with a lot.”

Blais noted that he never expected that he’d work for the town for 45 years, but then quickly added, “I liked the work, working for the town, and the people.”

He said he worked for a lot of different town managers and had four bosses at the garage before becoming lead foreman. He said some of the people he’s worked with had 35 years with the department.

“We’ve got some dedicated employees in this town,” Blais noted.

He said that from then to now, the equipment has improved. “We’ve come a long ways. Some things change. Some things don’t.”

Since retiring Dec. 1, Blais said he’s been doing woodworking projects around their Rumford home, and”making things for his grandkids, his children and his wife, Linda. She retired from Rumford Hospital’s plant operations in 2023.

“I’ve got a couple ton of patio blocks out in back of the garage that we’re going to put in this summer,” he added.

Because winter storms can happen anytime, Blais said he often missed out on events with their two children, birthdays, holidays and even funerals. Vacations were also interrupted.

“I called her my winter widow because I was always gone during the wintertime,” he said. “We’ve been through a lot. I want to thank her for that.”