Jerry Chalmers is set to receive a memorable birthday present on June 10.
The gift of retirement.
After working 47½ years in O’Hara’s public works department, Chalmers will bid farewell to the job he began in 1979.
“It’s going to be a bit of an adjustment,” said Chalmers, who will turn 66. “No more waking up at 5 a.m. and reporting to work at 6:15 a.m.”
Known as “Chomp” and “Chalmers” to his co-workers and “Pap” to his grandchildren, Chalmers has worked in the same beloved area where he was raised — the Pleasant Valley section of O’Hara.
Township Manager Julie Jakubec said Chalmers has worked longer than any other township employee, a few months more than recent township retiree Gary Bruce.
Jakubec described Chalmers’ work ethic as committed and dedicated.
“Jerry leaves behind a remarkable legacy of commitment, integrity and public service. Jerry has helped shape and strengthen the township for generations to come,” Jakubec said.
Dedicated and dependable
With a work retirement celebration on tap in June and a summer retirement celebration set for July hosted by his family, Chalmers spoke with TribLive reflecting on his decades spent in the township.
The 1979 graduate of Fox Chapel Area High School was a teen when he began working for the township.
He previously studied brick masonry at Washington Trade School during his junior and senior years of high school and worked as a bricklayer before taking the job in O’Hara.
Township public service employees are on call 24/7 every day of the year.
Trees fall on roads, sanitary sewer lines back up, and PA One Call inquiries can come in at any time. Winter is the most crucial time of year because of the potential for snowstorms, and there’s no such thing as “shifts” when Mother Nature gets fierce, Chalmers said.
“We don’t have three different shifts,” Chalmers said. “You stay till (the snow) quits again. There were days that our crew worked 30 days straight. You take your breaks, but your butt is dragging. When I first got hired, I asked the older guys why they didn’t like winter. After 47½ years, I’m that old guy that doesn’t like winter.”
The years seem to have flown by quickly for Chalmers.
He married Sharon Wilson in 1984. The couple moved from O’Hara to Harmar and raised three adult daughters.
They’ve lived in Harmar for more than 40 years, and Chalmers served as a Harmar supervisor for six years, from 2009-16. He helped cut the ribbon during the dedication ceremony for the new Hulton Bridge on Oct. 20, 2015.
Work life
Chalmers was happy to have a job he loved in his hometown — a place where he grew up “not locking our doors” — and enjoying a small-town environment where “everyone knew each other.”
“I was young and didn’t really know what I was getting into, but I started rebuilding catch basins (storm drains) and it was close to home and a good job,” Chalmers said.
Tony Farbacher of Indiana Township is a mechanic for O’Hara and has worked with Chalmers for 32 years.
“He’s real hard worker, and he knows everything. He’s real helpful, and he’s a good guy. I’m gonna miss him. I wish he’d stay,” Farbacher said.
Farbacher noted bad weather is a reality of the job.
“A lot of big blizzards we’ve had — working just to keep the roads clear. I can’t say enough good things about him. We wish him all the best,” Farbacher said.
Chalmers noted the “old” days working with old trucks and backhoes have improved.
“The equipment is a lot better these days. Trucks are replaced more often and it’s nice,” he said. “I did my job. There were a lot of changes equipment-wise in 47 years,” Chalmers said. “It’s been a great job, and you do get to know a lot of residents after working all these years.”
Chalmers’ typical work day includes checking online to see which PA calls need to be addressed — anyone digging in O’Hara signals an alert for the township — and conducting dye tests, which take about an hour.
Inspections, checking and monitoring the pump station, and dealing with plumbers and documenting each day’s work is part of Chalmers’ daily duties.
Dan Lazaro of O’Hara has worked alongside Chalmers for 24 years at the sewer pump station.
“I am so happy for him. Forty-seven years of picking up the phone at all hours of the night, it’s long overdue. He deserves it. Every storm, no matter what, we get called in. And you get the call and we have to go in,” Lazaro said. “It’s not always an eight-hour job, and you really become like family.”
Chalmers is known for his ability to keep humor alive even during tough shifts.
“No matter how serious the situation, at some point we always laughed about it, and he’d give you the shirt off of his back. He was good for the residents,” Lazaro said. “I will miss him.”
Chalmers stressed that Lazaro, as his work partner, has gone above and beyond for him professionally.
“Dan would tell me about the steps being slippery, a hole in the yard or don’t hit my head on a low deck, and he watched over me like he was my work wife. I appreciate everything he did for me. Thanks, Dan,” Chalmers said.
Hometown hero
Some days on the job were unpredictable.
Like the time Chalmers came to the rescue during a flash flood in 2019.
O’Hara officials later honored Chalmers with a proclamation recognizing him for selflessly saving the life of an O’Hara resident on July 11, 2019, during the flooding.
“I saved a lady during a flood in Pleasant Valley and Kittanning Pike was flooding,” Chalmers recalled. “I saw this lady holding on to her car and water was rushing in, and I called 911. I told the man I was going to get her, and the 911 man said he didn’t recommend that. I went around and jumped on the car and grabbed her. She was safely rescued. It was crazy. That was the most interesting time I had in O’Hara.”
Community ties
Chalmers previously served as a firefighter with Pleasant Valley Volunteer Fire Company and is a current member of the Sinnemahoning Sportsmen’s Association, Krivan Club in Springdale, Kinloch Fireman’s Club in Lower Burrell and Orpheus Singing Society in Lawrenceville.
Chalmers’ parents aren’t around to celebrate his retirement.
He lost both of them, the late Mercedes “Babe” and Jim “Carp” Chalmers, when he was a young adult.
“They died when I was in my 30s. I was devastated, and my mom was sick for a while and my dad was in my house when he died,” Chalmers said.
Chalmers looks forward to plenty of time clocking in as Pap in retirement.
“I love to cook and make them homemade pancakes,” he said.
He has five grandchildren, and three of them live on his property in Harmar.
He plans to continue his side hustle of cutting grass locally.
“I will continue to do that for my cigar money and stuff like that,” Chalmers said.
Chalmers cuts the lawn at the home of lifelong friend Betty Logan of O’Hara.
“Jerry is the best. He’s just wonderful, and everybody just loves Jerry,” said Logan, 100. “He’s like a son to me and he has a big heart.”
The Chalmers recently bought an RV, and road trips are on the summer agenda.
“Just being with my family, that will be great. And maybe taking a nap,” Chalmers said.
“Our township really grew. Our parks are great, and I think our service we give to the residents is great,” Chalmers said. “I think I’ll get a watch, but I don’t want anything. I just want to be a cowboy and ride off into the sunset.”
