One of the best service writers I've had the pleasure of knowing.

[Shoeboy]

First thing this morning I did a vehicle inspection on a 2000 Dodge 1500, I got the job and when Owen, the parts delivery guy, came he told me that Charlie, a service writer at OK tire across from my old shop had passed last Thursday. When I worked at my last shop in Crowfoot I worked across the parking lot from OK tire. Charlie, from OK tire, and Grant from Crowfoot Brake, would always come over in the morning before our shops opened and we would shoot the shit. He was an amazing and hard worker, He would put in 6 day weeks, every week, for as long as I could remember. He was a hard worker and would always be working no matter what, about 3 months ago, he broke his collar bone and had his arm in a sling, and he was still writing up work orders, and doing small things around the shop, like changing light bulbs and other stuff. He always seemed to be in good spirits, and always had a smile on his face. I never worked with him personally, but I always had a good opinion of him. He passed away last Thursday, January 3rd, of a heart attack at the age of 52. He seemed in good health, and he looked a lot younger then he was. Charlie, you will be missed. I know probably none of you would have known him, but he was a good guy and I thought that his good name should be passed on. Gone but not forgotten, RIP.

 

[Jspafford]

I hear you. We just lost an older gentleman at work. He was quite a bit older than Charlie though. I feel weird going into the shop now, knowing that the last time I was in there, he was there with me. I also looked in the trash can and saw the board in there that he had gotten all greasy last Friday.

I hate it when good people die!

 

[Insanejughead]

Amen...


God's shooting the shit with both of them now!

Not too long and it'll be us up there chilling out!!

 

[RobbieD]

It's hard when someone you know well and respect passes suddenly. I'm sorry to hear of your loss. In a very real way, they still live in the hearts and minds of those who miss them.

 

[predator]

im sorry for your loss....i know a couple people like that, im really gonna miss one of my mentors, the man is 58 and has chronic arthritis ( thats some nasty stuff) and his mind is practacilly a library of car and truck data, we can talk for hours and touch on just a little bit of everything from hemi-powered drag boats to 1 ton dually diesel pullin trucks and everything in between!!!

 

[Carlos Murphy]

Writters

On the OTHER end of the spectrum ...

Just one of many examples, BMW dealer I worked for in San Francisco about 25 years ago, service manager also ran the body shop, they did such a bad job on a repair/paint job that the manager had a detailer constantly washing the car keeping it covered with soap suds until the customer came in to get it, manager would show him the car, tell him it would be ready in a few minuets then take him down to the office and collect the insurance check from him.
If the customer complained later he would tell him to take it up with the insurance company. Guy was a real crook.

Sorry you lost one of the good ones.

 

[ForOffRoadDriving]

as i started reading this i almost stopped breathing for a second. a guy that owns a shop that we deliver to (hartland towing in hartland, MI) also died of a heart attack at the age of 51 in the first week of january. His name was also charley and he was also one of the good guys. he owned a dirtbike track that he gave me permission to ride at so for the last 6 months, before we got snowed on. i would ride with him every weekend and shoot the shit and pretty much get my ass handed to me by him. it was such a bummer to come into work and then get the phone call from his garage saying they were closed for the day. he was such a cool guy, were all going to miss him.

 

[Shoeboy]

Well, to make an even sadder story sadder, I found out today that Charlie didn't have a heart attack, he hooked a hose from his exhaust to the interior of his car and left it running in his garage. I found this out and it scared me, he seemed like he had everything together. Its sad to lose someone this way, I've known to many to have left in this manner...Just thought I'd update.

 

[metalmacguyver]

oh damn.......

 

[Carlos Murphy]

Punching out...

Yah, I knew a guy a few years back that punched his own ticket. He retired, living the life for a while and one day it all fell apart when he discovered his finance planer didn't do what he wanted when setting up his retirement plan and the poor guy no longer had the income he had counted on.
He had a expensive aerobatic Russian airplane in a T-hangar at the Hayward airport (Ca.) thats how I met him, he locked himself in the hangar, sat in a chair with a plastic bag over his head and a hose attached from nitrogen tank.
Thats how they found him, I was realy sad for him.