FARMINGTON – Everett Vining believed in doing things right and helping others. He was a strong person who never let anything stop him, Kevin Vining said Monday of his father.

Vining, 76, a man who built numerous houses around Farmington before developing an excavation business, E. L. Vining and Son Inc., died Friday at Franklin Memorial Hospital.

Daughter Sheila Richards said her father was a family-oriented man always friendly and smiling, and he demonstrated his philosophy in his business, to his employees and his community.

Vining graduated from Wentworth Institute in Massachusetts with plans to become a building contractor, Kevin said.

“He built a lot of homes around town . . . well over hundreds,” he said.

Despite his love of working with his hands and building,Vining suffered from arthritis and when he couldn’t climb around the homes he was building, he started doing more earth work and grew that business, Kevin said.

Kevin bought it from him and continues it today.

From his work with ground machinery, Everett Vining started a John Deere business in West Farmington and his love of looking for good deals and buying and selling things prompted father and son to develop K&E Motors, which Kevin ran for several years.

“He always had the right advice and was the hardest working person I ever met,” Kevin said. “He believed in doing for others and would do anything for anyone.”

A veteran, an active member of Trinity United Methodist Church, a Mason and Shriner, Vining also shared his knowledge through service to the town as a former selectman and Budget Committee member.

“He was special and great to work with . . . there’s not enough I can say about him. He was a great person to have interested in the town,” said Emily Floyd, who served as a selectman with Vining. “He was very good natured,” she said, a lot of fun, and he’s going to be missed.

Although Richard Davis wasn’t town manager when Vining was a selectman, Davis credited Vining with saving the town a lot of money on the new town garage. Davis, the late Mitch Boulette and Vining visited several other town garages to get ideas before plans were made, he said.

As a trustee of Trinity United Methodist Church, Vining was quite responsible for the new church building on the Farmington Falls Road, Dr. Kenneth Rockwood said.

Vining and Rockwood worked on the cabinetry in the church kitchen and got to know each other.

“He had a great affinity for public service and giving back into the community,” Rockwood said. “He also had a nice knack for getting things done. He knew a lot of people and many in the trades so he’d visit them and nudge them to help get things done.”

Although retired, Vining continued to help his son with projects, mowed many lawns including ball fields and did some incredible wood-working projects.

“He could build anything . . . he just knew how to,” he said. “Even with arthritic hands, he never let it get to him, never complained. He was always there for us. I just hope to be as good a dad to my kids as he was to us.”