I never had an education,” Milard Martin said. “I had to get up early and milk the cows, and then take the milk to the spring house. After that, I had to run two miles to school, and by the time I got there, I had already missed the reading and history.”

Born in 1934, Milard did not finish the eighth grade. After driving trucks for a few years, a friend of his decided to look at buying a septic truck. Milard decided to partner with him. Little did he know, he would be doing it 60 years later.

“I just thought, ‘why sure, I’ll go with him,’” he said. “Then, he sold me a truck and I went from there.”

After buying a septic truck, life presented Milard with another proposal – a life as a minister.

“I call it my conscience, but really it’s the Holy Spirit,” Milard said. “I felt it calling me into the ministry.”

After missing reading class in school, Milard thought it would be hard to learn to read.

“It just came to me,” Milard said. “Through the Bible, I learned to read.”

He now preaches at Barren River Ministries Baptist Church in Bowling Green.

If that wasn’t enough to keep him occupied, Milard started the first Barren River Volunteer Fire Department in 1972.

“I thought we needed one, especially out here (in between Bowling Green and Morgantown),” Milard said. “So I went from door to door asking for donations.”

The fire department is for the community and assists the Bowling Green Fire Department.

Milard is 73 years old and doesn’t plan to stop any time soon.

“I’m gonna continue working and preaching God’s word,” Milard said. “I do it because I like helping people.”

Reach Cody Duty at photo@chherald.com