My grandfather opened an auto repair shop in 1951 and ran it with his wife, kids, and employees until my father bought the business in 1977. I grew up as a family-business kid. I spent hot summer holidays there helping with building maintenance and cold winter Fridays cleaning, and I was always drawn to my reflection in the grimy used oil pans, wondering what was on the other side. A tornado took the building in 2018, and my parents needed to retire, so they didn’t rebuild. The garage was returned to the land and was gone.

To save some of the stories, family memories, and challenges the business faced, I asked my relatives and family to share their stories with me so I could write a book. It took years, but I finished. I wrote, designed, and printed the book through Blurb. It’s mainly for family members, but they keep printing copies to share with friends and family. I’m so happy this came to life.