Kevin LaMarre is a welder, mechanic, priest, farmer and self-proclaimed redneck.
He’s been to sea as a merchant marine, takes in unwanted and wayward animals, practices ancient calligraphy and translates Latin during his spare time.
And if you happen to be traveling on Cape Road toward the Frye Island Ferry, you just might find him on his way to work as he does every morning, driving a red 1942 Farmall tractor.
LaMarre, 50, works at Frye Island Ferry as a mechanic, routinely checking over the engines of the barges in a hot, cramped space.
“I’m five feet four inches, so that’s an advantage,” he joked.
The job at the ferry can be dangerous, especially if the water is rough. LaMarre, who at one time captained for the ferry, always takes the proper safety precautions, cleaning up the engine rooms and maintaining the engines.
“You have to take safety precautions in this job,” he said. “There is a lot at stake.”
This year, LaMarre started his own business, Redneck Repairs, for which he does custom wielding, metal work and blacksmithing, a “slow and quiet business,” he said.
He was born and raised in Waterville, and graduated from Maine Maritime Academy in Castine in 1978. Following in the footsteps of his father, who was a Navy Ranger in the Pacific during World War II, he joined the Merchant Marines in 1985, where he gained much of his experience in mechanics and engine maintenance. That same year he married his wife, Sue, who also worked at the ferry before she became the new Tassel Top park manager in Raymond this year.
Since several members in LaMarre’s family are professionals – mostly doctors and businessmen with MBAs – he maintains that he is the black sheep.
“I’m the redneck of the family,” he laughed. “I just like manual labor… I’m a farmer by heart.”
An ordained Anglican priest, LaMarre is fluent in Latin and developed a keen interest in monastic history and calligraphy, an unusual hobby for a man who claims to be a redneck and whose main conveyance is a tractor called “The Redneck S.U.V.”
“I got in an accident and I couldn’t afford another car, so I got a tractor… I can top it with a good tail wind at 30 miles per hour,” he said, adding that he only has to fuel his tractor once a month.
LaMarre said the daily commute on the tractor is a chance to collect his thoughts, taking in fresh air and the scenery.
“It’s the best part of my day. It’s great meditation,” he said. But during the winter, LaMarre said he has to bundle up.
And he claimed there is a strange connection between his father, who passed away the week before he purchased the tractor, and the date the tractor was built – 1942 – the same year his father fought in the Battle of the Coral Sea.
“Whenever I drive it, I always feel like I’m honoring something that still wants to work,” he said. “I guess I’m trying to resurrect the past.”
As a testament to their rural character, the LaMarre’s care for dogs, rabbits, horses, crack-shelled turtles that have been hit by cars, a 70-year-old donkey and a blind pony. In addition to the animals, they farm hay, pumpkins, beans and eggs.
“It’s just something we’ve always done,” he said.
His eldest daughter, Megan, 21, is a personal trainer at Causeway Family Fitness in Naples; his younger daughter, Emily, 18, is studying culinary arts at Southern Maine Community College; and his son, Elliot, 17, is a senior at Westbrook High School who also works Tassel Top Park.
“I’ve always felt that you have to grow with your kids. If you can be open, there’s a lot to learn from them. That way, you’re not speaking a different language from them, you’re not falling behind,” he said.
As an Anglican priest, LaMarre said he isn’t interested in forcing his faith on others, and uses his “redneck humor” as a means to communicate and break the ice.
“Sometimes people just need a kind word, and that can brighten their day. I try to help whoever I can and have fun at the same time,” he said.
LaMarre’s future plans include moving to northern Maine, where he wants to build a retreat for clergy members, a place where he and others of faith can “drink in the silence.”
“The idea is to provide a place where people can unplug and relax… I’m just trying to hold onto that which is good,” he said.
Kevin LaMarre, 50, poses with his 1942 Farmall tractor, wayward and injured animals.
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