Larry Knutsen and Terry Capnerhurst are good friends and they have worked together for 28 years, but Larry will be retiring tomorrow (Aug. 23).
When they met, Sunrise Ford was the 100 Mile House division of Lake City Ford in Williams Lake.
The staff from the two locations would get together for their annual Christmas party and that is where Larry and Terry officially met in 1985.
Says Larry: “You work together for the same company in different locations, and when you phone back and forth about parts, you get to know one and another.“
He started working at Lake City Ford in Williams Lake in July 1977, and then on April 1, 1986, he moved to 100 Mile to take over as the new parts manager. Larry joked that people shouldn’t take a job April 1. “You’re a fool for life.”
Terry has lived in 100 Mile since 1954 and he began working for local division of Lake City Ford in May 1972.
Larry notes you don’t see too many employees staying in a job for that many years.
They have seen many changes to their place of employment, including ownership, technology and a business name change.
“We just get along good. We just seem to click together as co-workers and we seem to spend more time with each other than we do with our spouses, I believe,” Larry says with a chuckle.
The two have done many things together including being involved with the Junior Forest Wardens in the early to mid ‘90’s. They began just helping out and then Larry took over as leader and Terry was his assistant, and they did this for 10 years.
They have been active members of the 108 Mile Ranch Volunteer Fire Department for more than 25 years. Currently, Terry is the deputy chief and Larry is the assistant chief.
Furthermore, they both live on the same block near the fire hall at the 108 Mile Ranch.
They enjoy time camping together and they socialize on different occasions, including birthdays.
They volunteer at different functions together through the fire hall, including the safe-drive-home fundraising program.
Work will be different, Terry says. For sure, it’s going to be different not having Larry come to work in the morning and us work together on the many different things that we do during the day, including making the morning coffee.
“We get along so great together. I will definitely miss him at work.”
Noting he will probably work for another five years, Terry says once they are both are retired, they will have time to do many more things together.
“Our friendship will always be there; that is not going to change.”
Chuckling, Larry says he will be doing more camping and fishing, and go down to Terry’s at night when he is off work, bug him and drink his wine.
Larry decided to take retirement after having a stroke and a heart attack recently.
Larry says he will be taking things as they happen. He doesn’t have any definite plans, other than to take life day-by-day and relax.
Larry has been married to Kathie for 44 years now and they will be taking a holiday, following his last day of work on Aug. 23. They have two married children Norman and Kim and five grand children.
Terry and his wife, Norma, have been married for 34 years, and they have three married children – Darrel, Dennis, and Kathy and four grandchildren.
