ASHLAND — Guy Keener gets uncomfortable when people dote on him.
But on Friday, an hour before his last day working at the Ashland County Engineer’s office, friend and co-workers did just that. Keener, an employee of nearly 36 years, is bound for a job in construction inspection in North Carolina.
The new position starts Dec. 18.
He leaves the job as the county’s construction coordinator. Keener, 55, started the job in 1987, when he was 18. At the time, the county needed seasonal workers to mow the sides of county roads.
“I kept saying ‘Guy would be a good hire,’ and they didn’t believe me,” said Mark Stauffer, the county’s longtime highway superintendent.
Stauffer said Keener had helped him on his farm for years prior, since Keener was 14.
“But it worked out really well and the rest is basically history,” Stauffer said.
Ashland County Engineer Ed Meixner organized Friday’s early morning farewell gathering. The party featured coffee, juice, pastries and fruit — and kind words Keener didn’t expect.
“It’s humbling to hear people say all these things when I all I did was just do my job. I didn’t do anything special … Basically, I’ve not been fired,” Keener said, laughing.
Meixner would disagree.
In his speech before around 40 of Keener’s co-workers, Meixner characterized Keener as a courageous worker with a servant’s heart.
“He gets a lot of quality work done,” he said. “And he does it all with a servant’s heart. He likes to help people.”
Keener worked his first summer mowing. The following year, the highway department returned to him and asked if he knew his way around a welder.
“I said, ‘yeah. I’m not certified,’ but they said I didn’t need to be,” Keener said.
For the next 14 years, Keener served as a welder working on the county’s bridges.
By 2002, Keener — a man who never finished college — had earned the title of construction coordinator for the Ashland County Highways Department.
During his tenure, close to 60% of the county’s bridges have been replaced. Meixner said Keener has “an intimate knowledge of our road and bridge system.”
“Guy has been flexible, willingly taking on additional projects and assignments for the good of the organization,” Meixner said.
As construction coordinator, Meixner said Keener made sure the department’s equipment functioned properly and was instrumental in digitizing manual practices, such as learning CAD to make technical drawings used in various construction projects.
Keener has lived in Ashland County his entire life. He and his wife raised three children in a house in Milton Township off Baney Road.
Their youngest daughter moved to North Carolina around a year ago. For “kicks and giggles,” Keener said he casually searched for jobs down there and found a firm looking for a construction inspector.
“It felt like a good fit,” he said. “I’m looking forward to just a different change. And it all fit together so seamlessly.
“God’s got a plan for us to go down there. I’ve been at peace with it.”
His wife, Deb, is looking forward to being close to the beach.
“When you’re older, you’re just supposed to move south … we’ll be 31 minutes away from the beach from our house,” she said.
The couple closes on a house in Leland on Dec. 21, just days after the new job starts. He hopes the moving company can find time to move their belongings sometime before Christmas.
Keener’s first project will be working on the Cape Fear Memorial Bridge, a 54-year-old overpass connecting Eagle Island to Wilmington.
Keener received a proclamation from Ashland County Commissioner Jim Justice, a commendation from state Rep. Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) and a plaque from his boss, Meixner.
“I’m almost embarrassed to give this to you,” Meixner said of the small plaque he handed to Keener. “Because you’re worth more than this.”