Ted Nutting, volunteering at the Clearwater Food Pantry. Submitted photo

Ted Nutting with his Kubota tractor. Submitted photo

INDUSTRY — As the saying goes, it’s not about the years in your life, it’s about the life in your years, and Ted Nutting has packed plenty of life in his nine decades (and counting!) Never one to be idle, Ted was out hunting for wild bees and collecting sap to make maple syrup when he was just 8 years old. As a young man he harvested wood with a horse and drag drey, then began driving a pulp truck for Allman Watson. In the 1970’s, Ted bought a pulp truck started his own business. Over the years, he also drove a plow truck and served as Industry selectman.

And he’s still serving the community as a volunteer at the Clearwater Food Pantry. No one, including Ted, could tell me just how long he’s been doing that, but he remembers back to when the pantry was run out of the basement of the old West Mills Church. Ted is also on the food pantry’s Board of Directors. He chugs a pretty spiffy Kubota tractor up the road every Monday morning, and spends the next several hours sorting produce, stocking shelves, and loading groceries into people’s vehicles. Ted’s usually a man of few words, but he can be prompted to share anecdotes, local history and wisdom gained from a long life.

So here’s to you, Ted Nutting, happy 90th birthday!