Earlier this month, at the St. Joseph County Fair, Paul Stump effortlessly sat in the seat of his 1953 Oliver 77 tractor.

In fact, he has been doing this for more than 65 years.

For decades, Stump was a native of the North Liberty and has been a frequent visitor to the local agricultural community. Stump will turn 100 in September, and he will still dedicate his skills, experience and dedication to his community church, where he works hard to maintain the grounds.

Almost every Wednesday, Stump would cross the road to Pine Creek Church of the Brethren to use a tractor and lawn mower to clean the lawn. The site includes more than 30 acres of land, and the entire process takes about four hours.

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Church volunteer Dave Hostetler, who has helped Stump and has known him for 20 years, is still impressed by Stump's efforts. He described Stump as a quiet, wise and hardworking person.

"He is a super man," Horstler said. "He is my idol, he can still do" handicraft.

Hostetler met Stump in Pine Creek Church in 2000, when Stump persuaded him to become a usher.

Now as the steward of the church, Hostetler is responsible for supervising all aspects of its maintenance and upkeep. He said that Stump insisted on continuing to drive the tractor out and keep the field in good condition.

"As long as he can do it, we will let him do it," Horstler said. "He wants to make a contribution."

Pine Creek Church has a wooded grove on the land surrounded by a creek. In addition to weekly lawn work, Stump walks around the church grounds every day, picking up branches and organizing the landscape.

Stump lives across the street from the church. He has lived for 97 years. His great-grandparents bought the land and the family has lived there ever since. 

The current building of the church was built in 1982, and Stump said he sold part of the land to the church. 

"I used to graze cattle here," he said recently before trimming the church grounds. 

Although Stump uses the church tractor to pull the lawn mower, sometimes he takes his most trusted tractor, the old Oliver 77, out for a drive. 

Stump recently displayed the Oliver 77 at an antique tractor show in the county fair. He also drove it in the opening parade of the fair and the night tractor parade.

According to family friend Zach Triplet, Stump does not have the oldest tractor in the show, but he is the oldest participant.

The Triplet family also participated in the tractor parade at the show.

"I'm in the middle," Triplet joked when talking about the tractor parade and show at the fair. "Paul is the oldest, I am the youngest, and my daughter is 6 years old."

During the exhibition, Stump's tractors were displayed alongside dozens of other antique models. Accompanied by his presentation was a frame containing the original sales slip and original purchase check, priced at $1,616.

Stump and his wife June bought a brand new tractor from 1953 in 1954. About 10 years ago, June and Paul’s photos taken in front of their tractor at home were displayed with the frame displayed at the tractor show.

"I raised her for 73 years," Paul said, his eyes gleaming.

He died in June 2015 at the age of 93. The couple married in 1942 and had two children.

Although Stump's iconic tractor has been used for him for more than 65 years, this is not his first tractor. He originally bought it to replace the old Oliver 70.

"My first Oliver used steel wheels," he said, referring to the time before the 1940s, when rubber wheels became the standard.

He said that in the 1980s, Stump bought another tractor, this time International, with an air-conditioned cab for farm work.

Stump has a grandson who lives near Branson, Missouri, who will one day inherit a tractor from 1953.

"He always likes to drive," Stump said.

Stump has worked in a variety of jobs throughout his life, including agriculture and construction. It was only in the past few years that he stopped working in the cabinet.

"I think I'd better save my fingers," he said when describing the various sawing tools he uses in his work.

On a recent Wednesday, Stump was grateful to be able to take care of the good weather on the church grounds again. 

"You can't help but like him," Horstler said. "You can't find anyone more dedicated than this."