Sherwood likes to stay busy at work

BREWER – Earl Sherwood retired three years ago as an appraiser for the city of Bangor but now is behind the desk again, this time for the city of Brewer.

At 70, Sherwood has taken a part-time job assisting Brewer assessor Mary Lynne Hunter. His title is appraisal technician, and Sherwood is busy updating property record cards, following up on building permits, and inspecting approved renovations to homes and other buildings.

The job is enjoyable for a man used to detail-oriented tasks, and Sherwood says the flexible schedule – he works 24 hours a week – enables him to give back his skill to the community where he has lived for decades.

Sherwood is among many Mainers choosing to work after age 70. Some do it for the money alone, but for Sherwood, there are other reasons for rejoining the work force.

“I enjoy this work,” said Sherwood, a sprightly man with a full shock of steely gray hair and a steady gaze.

Sherwood owned and operated a convenience store in Holden in the past. He had kept busy in retirement by working on Brewer’s board of appeals and board of assessment review. He received his certified Maine assessor’s license about 10 years ago while working in Bangor.

He served in the U.S. Air Force and is a veteran of the Korean War.

He and his wife, Lillian Sherwood, a former Bangor Daily News copy editor and proofreader, married in 1979 and lived in the historic Joshua Chamberlain residence in Brewer.

The couple had six daughters between them, all from previous marriages.

After the death of his wife, Sherwood remained at the Chamberlain residence. Two years ago the Brewer man decided to fill some hours with what had sustained him in his past, the work he knew how to do.

“I’m not a person who has hobbies,” Sherwood said. “I don’t ski, don’t snowmobile.

“Some of us really don’t think of the consequences of retirement,” he said. “When you go to work for years and years and then retire, [the need to return to work] is not necessarily monetary but [an answer to: How do you fill the time?”

Retirement communities in Florida or elsewhere may be fine for some but the homogeneous age population is not for Sherwood.

“You’re locked into the same age group. How often [can] you share the same war stories?” Sherwood asked.

In 2002, Sherwood worked on a special project for the Bucksport assessor’s office. Then the Brewer opportunity came up and he was hired last May. He has resigned from the city’s boards of assessment and appeals but maintains a position on the Brewer Housing Authority’s board of directors.

The work environment exposes him to a variety of people, which he enjoys, Sherwood said. “It makes you stay young,” Sherwood added.

The Bangor Daily News is profiling people age 70 and older who choose to remain in the work force. We welcome suggestions for people to profile. Contact us at 990-8138 or e-mail bdnnews@bangordailynews.net.