Some people are stressed about not being able to retire by their 65th birthday. This was never a matter of concern for John Larkin. A mechanic at USA Motor & Machine in Nashville, Tennessee, known as “Papa John”, he spent his life 95th Birthday on the job because he wouldn’t want to go anywhere else.
Larkin told an interviewer, “I just enjoy it. It keeps your mind busy, keeps you out of trouble.” News Channel 5 Nashville. “I’ve never found anything I like better.”
Born in 1931, Larkin has been working as a mechanic since 1955, when the first Tri-Five Chevys and Ford Thunderbirds were arriving in showrooms. He has spent most of his time working on fast cars. Larkin is a member of Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway Hall of Famewhich preserves the history of the half-mile oval located just outside downtown the Tennessee state capital (not to be confused with the 1.3-mile tri-oval Nashville Superspeedway). He was inducted in 2016, and according to a Facebook post Nashville Fairgrounds Racing History Around that time, he was a popular engine builder as well as an official at the track.
When many people were headed toward retirement, Larkin was looking for a new job. When he turned 80, he started working at USA Motor & Machine. Showing reporters around his workplace, he pointed to a freshly retuned V8 for the Camaro. Larkin still rebuilds five engines a week, and is eager to share his knowledge with his much younger coworkers. One of his colleagues, Michael Kelly, called them “master books”.
Nashville mechanic still rebuilding engines and working full time, celebrates 95th birthday Tuesday
Larkin’s wife died in 2014, but he is survived by two daughters and a granddaughter, as well as appreciative colleagues. They bought lunch and cake to celebrate “Papa John’s” 95th revolution around the sun.
It is unusual to see 1930s cars on the concourse lawn or outside a museum, let alone a working mechanic of similar vintage. But John Larkin is a reminder that if you love what you’re doing – and can do it well – then age really is just a number.
