For Frank Stuermann, retirement isn’t about escaping labor-filled days.It’s about having more time to volunteer in the community and devoting more attention to his massive John Deere collection.“Every day is like a Saturday,” said Stuermann, who has worn many hats in the county over the past three decades. “We’re only on this Earth a very short time.”But working at Ameren was never a chore for the lifelong Warrenton resident, who considered his employment with the utility a service to his fellow citizens.Stuermann retired on June 1 after 48 years, having spent most of them as a construction supervisor in St. Charles County.And he doesn’t plan on slowing down any time soon.“It’s hard to retire when you really enjoy your job,” said Stuermann. “But I made up my mind that retirement was going to be good.”Regarded as one of the county’s most prolific community service volunteers, Stuermann will continue to commit his time and talents to charitable endeavors such as BackStoppers.Stuermann graduated from Warrenton High School in 1965 and began working for what is now Ameren Missouri later that fall.He served 10 years as a lineman in Warrenton, before spending three years as a line foreman at Troy.“Line work is enjoyable, since it’s such a variety of work,” said Stuermann.“Every day is something different.”He spent the final 35 years as a construction supervisor in Wentzville, and survived four company name changes.“Every day was a challenge,” recalled Stuermann, who unlike many, welcomed ice storms and thunderstorms.He has traveled across the Midwest and to the East Coast, helping restore power in affected areas.“I always hated tornadoes the worst because they hurt people," said Stuermann, whose most recent assignment was restoring power after Hurricane Sandy. "We’d always see how quick we could get the lights back on. That was always important to me."When not assisting with disaster recovery, he was helping supervise the development of new commercial and residential areas.Stuermann helped manage the installation of the power grid to Bryan Road, Highway K and Mid-Rivers Mall Drive.Along the way, he has served on the Warren County 911 Board and was chairman of the Warren County Fair board in the late 1980s and 1990s.“If I could help people, I’ve always wanted to,” he added.But Stuermann reserves time for his own passion, which for the past 28 years has been collecting and restoring anything related to the iconic John Deere brand.He has 20 rare restored tractors lining his meticulously designed showcase shed located behind his self-constructed home.“I just keep building and adding to my collection,” said Stuermann, who has traveled as far as Colorado and Ohio to acquire new pieces.Tucked strategically between each model are dozens of lawn mowers and other types of farm and garden implements as well as hundreds of relics documenting the 176-year history of John Deere are carefully laid out on shelves and in cases.It is one of the most extensive and precisely displayed collections of its type in the county.For Frank, the thousands of hours committed to painting and detailing each piece of equipment has been a labor of love.“I’ve enjoyed each moment of it,” said Stuermann, who credits the FFA for sparking his interest in agricultural equipment and building.“That’s what really set me on my way.”

Warrenton native Frank Stuermann plans to devote more time to his John Deere tractor collection after recently retiring from Ameren following a 48-year career.

Derrick Forsythe Photo.