My auto mechanic died this weekend. In this modern world it is rare to know your mechanic well enough to know that he passed away. I knew Gary Meissner for 34 years since he first started working on my cars based on a reference from a friend. Gary was generous, honest, warm, friendly… He lent me his own car when I needed it. He dropped off our cars in our driveway a few blocks from his garage. Gary talked about retiring since I first knew him, and I knew that he would work until he died because he loved talking to his customers. I will miss talking to him about his travels, his problems in the shop, our families, and all the other stuff that we would chat about for 30 minutes each time I dropped a car off or picked one up after it was fixed. I will really miss him. He was a friend.
Condolences. I am sure others will miss him also. You remembering him fondly may bring his spirit joy.
While business is about making a reasonable profit, it is also about relationships. Too often the relationship part of a business gets lost in the process of making more money. It seems your mechanic had a good balance for him and his business.
I agree 100% with radzfoto, Gary was one of the best in the business, and a fun guy to talk to, he will be missed by MANY.
You may to look at his obit. to see if his family is requesting memorial contributions made in his name.
Good mechanics have a real love of making things work for their customers. Some of the best mechanics I have known didn’t charge enough for their work. Unfortunately, the owner-mechanic garages are disappearing as are independent repair shops in many fields. I think, as a nation, we have really lost something valuable.