In Derek Griffith’s world of mundane joys, there is nothing more exciting than rumbling bulldozers, screeching power saws and people wearing hard hats.

For weeks, Derek has been religiously visiting the construction site at Northeast Seventh Street in Oak Harbor, where the crew has grown quite fond of him.

Sheryl Griffith has always been supportive of her son’s passion. Derek, who is diagnosed with a developmental delay, has been going to construction sites by himself since he was 14, but his love for the industry started when he was a little boy. His late father, Brett Griffith, was a building inspector for Whatcom County.

“He’s been a construction nut forever,” she said. “It’s in his blood.”

At 4, Derek demonstrated a strong work ethic during the reconstruction of the road in front of his home in Bellingham. Upon seeing his enthusiasm, the crew asked him to keep an eye on their rig while they were gone.

“That little boy stayed up all night and watched that to make sure it was safe,” Sheryl recalled.

During the construction of a new home in his old neighborhood, the workers grew so fond of Derek that they took him under their wing. As a member of the team, Derek would fetch tools, unplug appliances, and ensure that the work got done — like a supervisor.

After the house was completed, the owner told Sheryl that they couldn’t have done it without her son.

“He said every time the guys would sit down, Derek would let them sit for five minutes,” she recalled. “Then he’d say, ‘Work now?’”

As he guided her through the construction site on Northeast Seventh Street on a gray October morning, Derek assured his mother they were safe. He knew he had to keep a proper distance from the moving machines.

He pointed at a blue pipe sticking out of the ground, which he said had been installed the week before. A few moments later, he crouched next to a wooden stake on the side of the road, trying to identify its use before concluding he did not know.

The Griffiths moved to Oak Harbor in 2019, as they felt the streets of Bellingham were no longer safe for Derek, who likes to walk by himself. While Oak Harbor feels safer, Sheryl sometimes worries for her son, who occasionally heads to a construction site before she even wakes up.

After she makes sure that crews are okay with her son being on the site to observe, Sheryl knows her son is safe as long as he is there. So far, Derek has made friends wherever he has been.

“That’s my boy!” he exclaimed at the sight of crew members walking by him and his mom.

“They make him one of the guys, and that’s all he wants … to be one of the boys,” she said.

Derek has become a star among city and SRV Construction staff working on the project, some of whom described him as a happy guy who always greets people. Although he knows how to stay safe, crew members keep an eye on him, making sure he is in the shade on hot days or offering him water.

On Site Inspector Julie Millage said workers ask about Derek on the rare occasions they don’t see him around and even noticed when he got a haircut.

Chad Kaaland, who works as an operator, said that Derek often shows up before crews do on some mornings.

“He’s never in the way, always paying attention and very respectful,” he said. “I wish some of the kids we had working for us were as good as Derek.”

Kris Rhodes, who worked as a flagger until recently, recalled an instance where she was kicking rocks off the road in an effort to prevent tires from throwing them onto people. Derek, who had been paying attention, followed suit.

In Bellingham, his eagerness to participate and be part of the team was rewarded; the workers let him help out with digging and sweeping tasks. In Oak Harbor, C Johnson Construction staff members signed his helmet, which he cherishes like a treasure. Whenever he visits Northeast Seventh Street, he always brings a lunchbox gifted by Rhodes, who said he looked like “a kid on Christmas” when he received it.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and Sheryl hopes Derek’s passion will be acknowledged and will help him land a job in construction, as he has proven he can follow instructions and work on simple but helpful tasks.

Since day one, Derek has never ceased to amaze his mother.

At the age of 18, Sheryl was told she couldn’t have children. Against her expectations, she became a mother at the age of 37.

When Derek was 2, she was told he was never going to speak due to his apraxia of speech.

“‘Yes he will,’” she recalled telling the doctors.

With some rigorous speech therapy, Derek learned to communicate.

Now, he makes friends wherever he goes, charming people with his love of life’s simple pleasures, whether it be watching construction workers, donating food to people in need with his mother or marveling at the sight of Navy jets flying over his head.

“This is my boy, this is my gift,” Sheryl said.

(Photo by Luisa Loi) Derek proudly wears the helmet signed by the C Johnson Construction crew.

(Photo by Luisa Loi) Tuesday, Derek took his mom Sheryl on a tour of the Northeast 7th Street construction site, where has become a beloved visitor. Sheryl hopes her son will one day get the job of his dreams.

(Photo by Luisa Loi) Derek leans on one of his favorite trucks.