Bennington has gone through a significant transition. Bennington Garage has been sold, and longtime owner Joe MacGregor is taking a long-awaited retirement.

He and his wife Leslie aren’t leaving Bennington, but he is going to take time for himself to use his woodshop and not “be a slave to the clock.” Even though there will be a new owner, Joe’s license plate will still read “Benngara.”

Joe has been Bennington Garage, but he is far more. In 1983, he moved to Bennington, and in the 40 years since then, he has been at the heart of the community, literally and figuratively. His Bennington Garage, located at the intersection of Routes 31 and 47, is the center of this small town.

Beyond the location, it is how Joe works and deals with people that has made him a linchpin of our community. There are few people as decent as Joe MacGregor. He has helped people find cars and kept their cars on the road for these 40 years. While doing that, he also mentored students and young people in learning how to care for cars and also how to care for their lives.

Area people have many stories about working at Bennington Garage with Joe as teenagers. Others thought when they were young that Joe was Mr. McGregor from the “Peter Rabbit” stories. Students at Pierce School across the street all know Joe and his cat Lucky.

Joe always had a ready smile for anyone coming to the garage, and people turn to him for advice on virtually every subject. Joe has gone beyond working on cars; he cares about his customers and neighbors as friends. He has shepherded families through loss, illnesses and transitions of their own.

He always has a listening ear for most anyone. Even when working at the garage alone, he frequently stopped to hear what a customer’s issue was as if that was the most-important thing at that moment and tried to accommodate them.

Joe has been more than a local businessman. He has and still holds many town and regional positions. He was chair of the ConVal School Board and is on the Contoocook River Committee. He has been a key member of the Bennington Conservation Commission for almost as many years as he has lived in Bennington, and is a member of the Edes Scholarship Committee.

But along with being well-known and respected, Joe is the essence of what makes our town good. He loves his town as much as his town loves him. Whether you have known Joe for a week or a decade, his farewell is usually “bye friend.”

Joe’s list of friends is endless; he knows everyone, young and old. People who know him use these descriptors: kind, likable, deeply trustworthy and trusting, caring, honest, hardworking, always willing to help, kind-hearted, good to everyone, wonderful, an asset to the community, a wonderful mentor, a brilliant mechanic, awesome, a great neighbor, a fixture in the village, like a family member who watches out for you, exemplifies “community” and the absolute best mechanic and human.

When word got out that Joe was retiring, there was an endless line of well-wishers at the garage door and the phone rang incessantly with calls from friends and customers. Our community will miss knowing that Joe MacGregor is at Bennington Garage.

Personally, when I moved to town nine years ago, the first person to introduce himself to me was Joe MacGregor. He tooted his horn at the stop sign across from my home and waved. Almost every day since, he has tooted his truck horn and waved as he goes up to his home on Bible Hill Road or down to his garage in the village.

I am pleased to call him my best friend. He was at my side in my biggest health challenge, and I always know that he is looking out for me like a big brother. I wish him well as he joins the ranks of the retired, but somehow, I don’t think he will be a conventional “retiree.” He still has far too much energy to kick back.

Joe was in and out of “Benngara” before handing over the keys to the new owner. Many stopped in to wish him well and say “bye friend.”

Michael T. Munhall is chairman of the Bennington Conservation Commission.