Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | Google Podcasts

Trucks were the main outlet for Mike’s mechanical prowess!

From the age of 10, Mike knew that he wanted to work, be around, and own large heavy duty trucks. From there he went on to own his own repair shop where he treated them as if they were the customers. So much so that drivers of the trucks wouldn’t want to see him at the shop, they would leave the trucks in the yard. The drivers were worried they would be told that they are mistreating the trucks that they drive by not maintaing them.

Mike went on eventually to have his own under a trucking company he started. Unfortunately, Mike was eventually involved in an accident that sent him down a 65 foot embankment that caused the beginning of the decline of his health.

This is the first interview I’ve done with a member of my own family. This is also the first interview I’ve done posthumously, through my great aunt. It was an honor to be able to sit down and get these stories documented, and I hope to do more of these.

Buy Anne Murray’s Could I Have This Dance

Episode 30

Transcription

1
[00:00:00],000 –> [00:00:05],40
this is the dreamers podcast where
dreamers shared their stories to inspire

2
[00:00:05],40 –> [00:00:06],480
you

3
[00:00:06],480 –> [00:00:11],969
now join host Joe Pardo as he interviews
a dreamer who’s living their dreams

4
[00:00:22],140 –> [00:00:23],780
yeah

5
[00:00:23],780 –> [00:00:28],670
welcome to the Germans podcast I’m your
host Joe Pardo and today I’m

6
[00:00:28],670 –> [00:00:33],950
interviewing my great aunt sue part of
senior or my great uncle michael part of

7
[00:00:33],950 –> [00:00:38],120
senior posthumously who lives his dreams
through heavy duty trucks

8
[00:00:38],120 –> [00:00:42],739
welcome to the show and Sue hello thank
you for coming on your welcome Joe let’s

9
[00:00:42],739 –> [00:00:46],160
get started by giving some background
about yourself and your relationship

10
[00:00:46],160 –> [00:00:51],679
with Uncle Mike and then go into how
Mike lived his life

11
[00:00:52],430 –> [00:00:59],510
okay well I met akamai crowd 1985 I
worked for a trucking company and he had

12
[00:00:59],510 –> [00:01:06],140
a repair business one of the customers
had a truck in the shop they couldn’t

13
[00:01:06],140 –> [00:01:11],510
pay for it and another customer hide a
truck in the shop that she inherited

14
[00:01:11],510 –> [00:01:16],130
from her mother so she needed a driver
on the truck so might put them together

15
[00:01:16],130 –> [00:01:21],740
and they leased the truck on with the
trucking company I was working for and I

16
[00:01:21],740 –> [00:01:26],960
used to dispatch him he would take care
of all the loads and stuff so we used to

17
[00:01:26],960 –> [00:01:35],479
talk through the week then on fridays i
would collect paperwork and pay the

18
[00:01:35],479 –> [00:01:36],290
drivers

19
[00:01:36],290 –> [00:01:41],659
well one week he said he was going for
italian seafood and I said oh I like

20
[00:01:41],659 –> [00:01:42],799
seafood

21
[00:01:42],799 –> [00:01:47],360
he said well you want to come with us
and I was like I kind of felt like I’d

22
[00:01:47],360 –> [00:01:52],310
invited myself so I said no no that’s
okay so the next week when I talked to

23
[00:01:52],310 –> [00:01:56],869
him he asked me out and said look you
want to go get seafood nice the desk and

24
[00:01:56],869 –> [00:01:58],670
that’s where it began

25
[00:01:58],670 –> [00:02:06],49
we saw each other from october to $MONTH
january and then I moved in with them i

26
[00:02:06],49 –> [00:02:10],850
guess it was August they had moved the
business from deptford down to the soul

27
[00:02:10],850 –> [00:02:13],190
and when they moved to business

28
[00:02:13],190 –> [00:02:16],790
the girl that was working in the office
apparently didn’t know a whole lot

29
[00:02:16],790 –> [00:02:21],590
because Mike asked me to go down and set
up the files in the office so I did I

30
[00:02:21],590 –> [00:02:25],760
went down and set up the files but I set
them up very general generally welcomed

31
[00:02:25],760 –> [00:02:30],79
august i was down the shore on vacation
and I talked to my grenade and he said

32
[00:02:30],80 –> [00:02:33],860
to me when you come home you have a job
and I was like okay well the girl went

33
[00:02:33],860 –> [00:02:35],190
to lunch and never came back

34
[00:02:35],190 –> [00:02:40],740
in the meantime backtrack a little that
may the trucking company that I worked

35
[00:02:40],740 –> [00:02:44],910
for for 16 years had offered they were
closing the office in New Jersey they

36
[00:02:44],910 –> [00:02:51],000
offered to send me to albany new york
and i said now I I wouldn’t move so so I

37
[00:02:51],000 –> [00:02:54],60
was off for the first time since i
graduated from high school

38
[00:02:54],60 –> [00:02:57],810
so when he said I had a job I was like
okay well i thought i was going to have

39
[00:02:57],810 –> [00:03:02],100
a little bit more time off but I came
back and I went to the office and I

40
[00:03:02],100 –> [00:03:08],850
started basically I was general office
work and a waitress because you would go

41
[00:03:08],850 –> [00:03:13],260
in and at ten o’clock you would take the
orders for break and at noon you take

42
[00:03:13],260 –> [00:03:17],70
the orders and then at the end of the
week it was trying to collect the money

43
[00:03:17],70 –> [00:03:22],950
from all the mechanics but being there
every day then I could see more of what

44
[00:03:22],950 –> [00:03:29],760
he did and what he liked in more into
what he who he was he loved the trucks

45
[00:03:29],760 –> [00:03:35],790
he loved doing the work he he always
said to people that when he was 10 his

46
[00:03:35],790 –> [00:03:39],690
father has somebody wanted for christmas
and he said he wanted a truck and his

47
[00:03:39],690 –> [00:03:43],140
father brought him the tractor and he
started working on him since he was 10

48
[00:03:43],140 –> [00:03:47],700
years old but he could probably work
take it apart and put it back together

49
[00:03:47],700 –> [00:03:52],859
like nobody’s business when he was in
high school and his father had trucking

50
[00:03:52],860 –> [00:03:57],480
company you see on the phone talking to
the driver is out on the road telling

51
[00:03:57],480 –> [00:04:02],549
them how to fix the truck and then when
he graduated from high school he said

52
[00:04:02],550 –> [00:04:05],880
the only reason he actually graduate it
was because they used to fix all the

53
[00:04:05],880 –> [00:04:15],30
priests cars but he not only fix trucks
he actually fabricated trucks he would

54
[00:04:15],30 –> [00:04:19],709
take somebody would come in and we did a
lot of trash trucks and they would come

55
[00:04:19],709 –> [00:04:24],419
in and trash trucks you know you don’t
just go to the trash truck store

56
[00:04:24],419 –> [00:04:31],140
dealership and get a truck you basically
have to have it put together so we had

57
[00:04:31],140 –> [00:04:38],99
one customer in from defar and they used
to come to us all the time and he would

58
[00:04:38],100 –> [00:04:41],730
take you know he take the old body often
put a new body on somebody would come in

59
[00:04:41],730 –> [00:04:46],620
and want something done and he tells a
story that when he was before I met him

60
[00:04:46],620 –> [00:04:47],440
so he was

61
[00:04:47],440 –> [00:04:52],690
quite a bit younger that someone had
come in and they used to bring their

62
[00:04:52],690 –> [00:04:58],60
their vehicles in and hear the gentleman
had kind of like a sideshow type thing

63
[00:04:58],60 –> [00:05:03],730
he would have liked the smallest horse
the biggest horse the smallest this the

64
[00:05:03],730 –> [00:05:08],620
biggest that and they will come in and
you know Mike would fix their trucks or

65
[00:05:08],620 –> [00:05:13],240
their trailers or whatever needs to be
done and then he had someone come in one

66
[00:05:13],240 –> [00:05:17],350
time that there was a gay bar and
Philadelphia that wanted to have a

67
[00:05:17],350 –> [00:05:23],650
tractor put inside the bar on the second
floor so he went and got all the

68
[00:05:23],650 –> [00:05:28],510
equipment got an old tractor got the
hoist and all that stuff opened up the

69
[00:05:28],510 –> [00:05:33],39
side of the building and actually put it
inside the gay bar and so the guys who

70
[00:05:33],40 –> [00:05:38],590
go in and drive and they had the air
horn and he had he had a lot of

71
[00:05:38],590 –> [00:05:43],929
different things but he could as far as
doing anything mechanical it wasn’t

72
[00:05:43],930 –> [00:05:48],280
really just trucks could do electrical
work you could do plumbing work you

73
[00:05:48],280 –> [00:05:52],840
could do he had that kind of a
mechanical mind he could sit down with

74
[00:05:52],840 –> [00:05:58],989
the piece of paper he always had to draw
things out if he had an idea he’d have

75
[00:05:58],990 –> [00:06:02],80
to sit there and he’d have to show you
with the piece of paper and a pencil

76
[00:06:02],80 –> [00:06:07],240
this is how you did this is how you did
it and then the older he got and his

77
[00:06:07],240 –> [00:06:13],900
health wasn’t so good then that’s when
he really started to decline but once he

78
[00:06:13],900 –> [00:06:19],270
couldn’t work on the trucks then he
wanted to own the trucks so he bought a

79
[00:06:19],270 –> [00:06:27],460
truck apparently the first truck that he
ever owned it was a burnout truck from

80
[00:06:27],460 –> [00:06:32],349
an old customer who was a friend and the
driver the driver had had an accident in

81
[00:06:32],350 –> [00:06:38],950
the vehicle and had died and he bought
basically the scrap from the wife and he

82
[00:06:38],950 –> [00:06:43],990
took that truck and took it down to bare
bones and he made his first tractor out

83
[00:06:43],990 –> [00:06:49],930
of it and he put that on the road and he
had the trucking company the first time

84
[00:06:49],930 –> [00:06:50],680
we had

85
[00:06:50],680 –> [00:06:56],80
I guess 12 trucks then it just it just
wasn’t worth it anymore

86
[00:06:56],80 –> [00:07:02],320
at that time he was running 12 trucks
plus running a repair business and it

87
[00:07:02],320 –> [00:07:03],880
just wasn’t worth it anymore

88
[00:07:03],880 –> [00:07:09],550
the trucking company wasn’t bringing in
enough money to be offset but we were he

89
[00:07:09],550 –> [00:07:14],949
was doing it what how a mechanic would
do it which would be taken old truck and

90
[00:07:14],949 –> [00:07:21],789
fix it up and put it on the road but the
drivers weren’t out there to drive old

91
[00:07:21],789 –> [00:07:26],560
trucks the drivers wanted new trucks you
know with all the latest bells and

92
[00:07:26],560 –> [00:07:31],449
whistles and all that stuff so we close
the trucking company then and just did

93
[00:07:31],449 –> [00:07:36],699
the repairs then we bought a piece of
property up in Pennsylvania where he

94
[00:07:36],699 –> [00:07:37],810
used to go hunting

95
[00:07:37],810 –> [00:07:42],880
he loved to hunt we have as Joe can tell
you we have lots of deer heads and I

96
[00:07:42],880 –> [00:07:47],710
have an elk and I have a bear in my
family room from likes hunting

97
[00:07:47],710 –> [00:07:59],620
expeditions he did love to hunt but uh
he kind of lost a lot of that but he got

98
[00:07:59],620 –> [00:08:06],39
into x and trucks when we build a house
up in west central Pennsylvania he

99
[00:08:06],39 –> [00:08:10],90
started with a couple trucks and then a
couple more than a couple more was the

100
[00:08:10],90 –> [00:08:16],359
less he could do the more it seemed like
the more trucks he had by basically and

101
[00:08:16],360 –> [00:08:20],229
no heat that’s what he wanted to do he
just wanted the drugs and when a

102
[00:08:20],229 –> [00:08:23],650
customer come into his repair business

103
[00:08:23],650 –> [00:08:29],469
it wouldn’t be the customer wasn’t the
customer the truck was the customer so

104
[00:08:29],470 –> [00:08:34],719
if a driver brought a truck in that the
driver did not take care of which was

105
[00:08:34],719 –> [00:08:39],250
you know getting your truck every day
you have to check the the oil in the

106
[00:08:39],250 –> [00:08:44],169
water and the tires and you walk around
the truck and you’re supposed to do all

107
[00:08:44],169 –> [00:08:45],910
that stuff anyway

108
[00:08:45],910 –> [00:08:49],899
drivers will just get in and go you know
and the trucks will come and they have

109
[00:08:49],899 –> [00:08:57],550
you no no oil with blown engines and
what Mike you say you know this this is

110
[00:08:57],550 –> [00:09:01],240
something you have to maintain you can’t
drive this into the ground you have to

111
[00:09:02],000 –> [00:09:07],910
take care of it but we got to the point
where some some of the drivers would

112
[00:09:07],910 –> [00:09:11],900
drop the trucks out in the yard and then
the owners will call us and tell us the

113
[00:09:11],900 –> [00:09:16],69
trucks were in the yard because the
drivers didn’t want to get hard up

114
[00:09:16],70 –> [00:09:18],950
because they will get hard and if they
didn’t treat the trucks right he just

115
[00:09:18],950 –> [00:09:23],210
loved drops how long ago is uncle mike
Dingaan he died

116
[00:09:23],210 –> [00:09:28],670
februari eleventh of $MONTH 2012 so he’s
been gone about two and a half years

117
[00:09:28],670 –> [00:09:34],189
so what would you say inspired him the
most the way he he enjoyed working with

118
[00:09:34],190 –> [00:09:41],90
his hands with the trucks he had a real
mechanical mind so the best he was when

119
[00:09:41],90 –> [00:09:45],140
someone would come in and he would have
to fabricate something and he would sit

120
[00:09:45],140 –> [00:09:48],680
there and he would that would that would
give him great joy because that’s what

121
[00:09:48],680 –> [00:09:53],839
he loves to do is to make something out
of nothing he would make tools you’ve

122
[00:09:53],840 –> [00:09:59],000
had a job to do and it was hard to get
to a spot on the truck you know he made

123
[00:09:59],000 –> [00:10:04],730
his own tool so he could fix it but
that’s basically what his love was that

124
[00:10:04],730 –> [00:10:09],410
hands-on mechanical stuff so when he
actually couldn’t do it anymore

125
[00:10:10],70 –> [00:10:13],520
it really really hurt him especially
after he had his accident because he

126
[00:10:13],520 –> [00:10:18],199
thought he would be able to go out in
the garage last thing he tried to do was

127
[00:10:18],200 –> [00:10:21],680
go out to the garage at the house he
thought he could sit down and do a

128
[00:10:21],680 –> [00:10:25],339
transmission because they feared you
know he couldn’t walk but he could sit

129
[00:10:25],339 –> [00:10:30],560
but he just couldn’t do it anymore and
that was kind of like the the beginning

130
[00:10:30],560 –> [00:10:35],209
of the downfall because then it’s like
you know why keep going well you

131
[00:10:35],210 –> [00:10:40],220
mentioned accident could you elaborate
more on that yes we’re Lebanon

132
[00:10:40],220 –> [00:10:47],839
Pennsylvania he was down on a cup kidnap
but it’s what I call four-wheeler with a

133
[00:10:47],839 –> [00:10:53],330
steering wheel and he went out one night
and he was supposed to be checking the

134
[00:10:53],330 –> [00:10:58],339
back of the property we had 63 acres up
there and 40 minutes he wasn’t back so I

135
[00:10:58],339 –> [00:11:02],540
call friends of ours and they went out
looking for him and they never found him

136
[00:11:02],540 –> [00:11:07],790
til 1030 that night he had gone down a
65-foot embankment but it was fine in

137
[00:11:07],790 –> [00:11:12],530
fact when our friends found him he said
dome you pass me twice

138
[00:11:13],279 –> [00:11:23],120
he did have quite a quite a dry sense of
humor but he seemed finally they setting

139
[00:11:23],120 –> [00:11:28],579
shattered is the bone in his elbow and
he wanted to go home from the emergency

140
[00:11:28],579 –> [00:11:33],620
room but they said no stay overnight
while once he stayed overnight then the

141
[00:11:33],620 –> [00:11:38],720
next afternoon I got the phone call that
you know things weren’t going so well he

142
[00:11:38],720 –> [00:11:43],129
was confused he didn’t know where he was
and they wound up putting them in

143
[00:11:43],129 –> [00:11:49],639
intensive care and then they they had to
intubate on because he kept short

144
[00:11:49],639 –> [00:11:53],629
breathing like he wasn’t getting all the
carbon dioxide out of his long so they

145
[00:11:53],629 –> [00:11:59],329
had to battle Adelman they sent him over
to this was out in altoona pennsylvania

146
[00:11:59],329 –> [00:12:04],99
so they wanted to send him over to
pittsburgh but I suggest that they send

147
[00:12:04],100 –> [00:12:07],309
in Philadelphia since that’s where all
our family is outside of the

148
[00:12:07],309 –> [00:12:12],649
Philadelphia area and so that’s what
they did he was in intensive care at the

149
[00:12:12],649 –> [00:12:17],360
University of Pennsylvania for seven
weeks and then he was in a long-term

150
[00:12:17],360 –> [00:12:26],839
acute hair care hospital for two months
and then the problem is is that there’s

151
[00:12:26],839 –> [00:12:34],670
no facility for someone that is
overweight and want a ventilator and he

152
[00:12:34],670 –> [00:12:41],300
was on Medicare well in New Jersey they
don’t accept Medicare in these places

153
[00:12:41],300 –> [00:12:47],240
like long-term and so we tried to find a
place over in Pennsylvania up nearer my

154
[00:12:47],240 –> [00:12:52],850
sister Maria Rita and they wouldn’t take
me there so I really had no choice but

155
[00:12:52],850 –> [00:12:58],910
to bring home so we brought him home on
a ventilator September of 2010 and by

156
[00:12:58],910 –> [00:13:05],959
march two thousand eleven he was off the
ventilator and he had been trait so he

157
[00:13:05],959 –> [00:13:09],378
was off the ventilator and he was
actually off the trick but he just

158
[00:13:09],379 –> [00:13:16],759
couldn’t walk again and just after being
hospitalized and in bed that long he

159
[00:13:16],759 –> [00:13:21],559
just and he had bad knees to begin with
and he put up with it I mean he walked

160
[00:13:21],559 –> [00:13:22],689
they had told him he

161
[00:13:22],690 –> [00:13:27],640
get new replacement years ago but they
told to come back after lost 200 pounds

162
[00:13:27],640 –> [00:13:33],280
because he was a a big Santa Claus is
what everybody would call him because

163
[00:13:33],280 –> [00:13:40],510
that’s what they look like Santa Claus
big job way wasn’t ja-ae it was

164
[00:13:40],510 –> [00:13:46],510
definitely more on the quiet side but
yet what I saw him on what I knew of him

165
[00:13:46],510 –> [00:13:52],990
he was very funny and I will be watching
TV at night and i would say no why did

166
[00:13:52],990 –> [00:13:54],160
they do that

167
[00:13:54],160 –> [00:13:57],459
I don’t all of a sudden he pick up the
phone and he pretended I so what are you

168
[00:13:57],460 –> [00:14:00],280
doing he says they’re calling them to
find out why they’re doing it that way

169
[00:14:00],280 –> [00:14:05],890
but a lot of people never saw that side
of him he didn’t really show his true

170
[00:14:05],890 –> [00:14:13],840
colors to a lot of people know I i can
attest to a lot of that yes in fact the

171
[00:14:13],840 –> [00:14:20],770
one time was when Joe’s sister when Joe
and Michelle real real little Michelle

172
[00:14:20],770 –> [00:14:25],930
was probably too we had gone to the
Christmas the family christmas party /

173
[00:14:25],930 –> [00:14:31],510
snag and Santa Claus told Michelle that
she would be able to get any gifts

174
[00:14:31],510 –> [00:14:37],180
unless you went and gave uncle mike a
kiss so she ran across the room she

175
[00:14:37],180 –> [00:14:45],250
stood in front of Mike and you turn
around and run away and believe it or

176
[00:14:45],250 –> [00:14:49],480
not my kit Mike enjoyed that because he
loved to torment little kids

177
[00:14:49],480 –> [00:14:53],410
he just loved he loved them they always
wanted to hold him but he loved to

178
[00:14:53],410 –> [00:14:58],780
torment me would call little boys little
girls the little girls little boys you

179
[00:14:58],780 –> [00:15:06],790
know it’s just he had a very weird sense
of humor and I can attest that too

180
[00:15:06],790 –> [00:15:11],199
how did his dream come about and he said
that ten years old he wanted a truck

181
[00:15:11],740 –> [00:15:19],960
I’m not sure whether it was because Mike
was so talented with trucks his father

182
[00:15:19],960 –> [00:15:24],670
his father did all kinds of stuff is
father used to do wallpaper and painting

183
[00:15:24],670 –> [00:15:25],310
and

184
[00:15:25],310 –> [00:15:35],29
he was he saw produce and he did get
into trucks because of the produce and

185
[00:15:35],29 –> [00:15:40],700
then he started to have trucks and then
Mike would fix them but then the story

186
[00:15:40],700 –> [00:15:46],490
that I that I had heard was that the
drivers were gonna go union and family

187
[00:15:46],490 –> [00:15:51],260
didn’t want that so they close the
company up then then basically they

188
[00:15:51],260 –> [00:15:56],930
started to just do repairs and Mike’s
father had bought the property over

189
[00:15:56],930 –> [00:16:01],250
endeavor and at the time they were doing

190
[00:16:01],250 –> [00:16:06],800
seabrook forms was a big customer and
they used to repair all their trucks and

191
[00:16:06],800 –> [00:16:13],670
then the family got into pioneer truck
rentals they used to get by trucks fix

192
[00:16:13],670 –> [00:16:17],390
them up and they would run out the
trucks they were kind of ahead of their

193
[00:16:17],390 –> [00:16:22],10
time before like rider or all those
other companies going into it but

194
[00:16:22],10 –> [00:16:28],490
basically they had all the trucks and
i’m not sure of why the trucks for the

195
[00:16:28],490 –> [00:16:34],790
Reynolds i’m not sure how that actually
happened you may your dead no more of

196
[00:16:34],790 –> [00:16:40],520
that part of it but then they got into
the truck sales and welcome i told me

197
[00:16:40],520 –> [00:16:46],490
the story that when he I mean he was so
young that when his father had to shop

198
[00:16:46],490 –> [00:16:50],900
over and effort which actually was where
pioneer started there was an older

199
[00:16:50],900 –> [00:16:55],370
gentleman there and Mike’s father sent
over there to run the shop over there

200
[00:16:55],370 –> [00:16:59],630
and the older gentleman didn’t like it
because Mike was probably 20 and finally

201
[00:16:59],630 –> [00:17:05],000
they had to let the other guy go because
my new more than the older gentleman but

202
[00:17:05],000 –> [00:17:10],670
the older gentleman really didn’t want
to answer to be on fellow which I can

203
[00:17:10],670 –> [00:17:17],120
understand elder moulder but basically
that’s all he wanted to do with his life

204
[00:17:17],119 –> [00:17:21],619
he just wanted to fix the trucks that’s
all he wanted to do was work on trucks

205
[00:17:21],619 –> [00:17:25],760
and then when he run into financial
problems that so he would make extra

206
[00:17:25],760 –> [00:17:30],740
money go work for somebody else fix and
trucks you know early on pioneer wasn’t

207
[00:17:30],740 –> [00:17:34],760
that successful it was really just
starting out you know and there was it

208
[00:17:34],760 –> [00:17:35],870
was a family business

209
[00:17:35],870 –> [00:17:40],580
so it was not only Mike but his brother
your grandfather and their father

210
[00:17:40],580 –> [00:17:44],360
so you know there wasn’t lots of money
going around so when you have family

211
[00:17:44],360 –> [00:17:48],889
obligations micro and work other mean
that’s how good he was other shops would

212
[00:17:48],890 –> [00:17:54],260
hire him and then when I got to really
work in the garage i could see where

213
[00:17:54],260 –> [00:17:58],430
there was really nobody else in our area
around that did the kind of work that

214
[00:17:58],430 –> [00:18:03],800
Mike did might never ever turn down a
job whatever came in

215
[00:18:03],800 –> [00:18:07],460
no matter what it was we used to call
some of them the you know the jobs from

216
[00:18:07],460 –> [00:18:12],620
hell but he wouldn’t give up until it
got fixed and there’s lots of times that

217
[00:18:12],620 –> [00:18:15],770
you know we probably we’re not paying
for the job

218
[00:18:16],460 –> [00:18:21],380
more so than what the customer could
have ever paid because Mike once once he

219
[00:18:21],380 –> [00:18:24],740
got his claws into it that was that he
was gonna fix it

220
[00:18:24],740 –> [00:18:30],440
come hell or high water so do you recall
any stories about how his dream was

221
[00:18:30],440 –> [00:18:34],340
received by his family whether they were
supportive because I’m pioneer wasn’t

222
[00:18:34],340 –> [00:18:39],110
around when he was born so to fall in
love with trucks at such a young age and

223
[00:18:39],110 –> [00:18:41],270
the bead mechanically inclined

224
[00:18:41],270 –> [00:18:46],309
how was that looked at by my
great-grandfather perfect i’ll that just

225
[00:18:46],309 –> [00:18:51],110
fit right into the scheme of things
because he had trucks

226
[00:18:51],110 –> [00:18:56],659
I mean your great-grandfather started
from absolutely nothing in fact him and

227
[00:18:56],660 –> [00:19:00],380
your great grandmother moved in with
your grandmother’s family when they

228
[00:19:00],380 –> [00:19:04],700
first got married so what he built but
that’s a whole other podcast from

229
[00:19:04],700 –> [00:19:09],230
someone else to tell but I mean he did
whatever he could to take care of the

230
[00:19:09],230 –> [00:19:15],950
family and he went anybody truck so that
he could deliver the produce and then I

231
[00:19:15],950 –> [00:19:18],410
guess his love of the trucks

232
[00:19:18],410 –> [00:19:22],250
I mean then he got involved in the
trucks little by little your

233
[00:19:22],250 –> [00:19:27],200
great-grandfather and then when Uncle
Mike came along he just he just had a

234
[00:19:27],200 –> [00:19:33],470
natural talent for it and he had the
perfect segue into what he wanted to do

235
[00:19:33],470 –> [00:19:38],870
with the rest of his life and worked out
well because it became a family deal

236
[00:19:38],870 –> [00:19:43],610
where Mike would take care of the trucks
and his brother took care of the

237
[00:19:43],610 –> [00:19:47],870
business end of it and the father just
kind of oversaw everything so it was

238
[00:19:47],870 –> [00:19:48],919
like he never

239
[00:19:48],920 –> [00:19:54],20
he never ever wanted to do anything else
with his life just the drugs do you

240
[00:19:54],20 –> [00:19:57],740
recall what steps you took to get
started while his his father had a

241
[00:19:57],740 –> [00:20:01],670
garage over in Philadelphia when he was
the kid after school he would go over

242
[00:20:01],670 –> [00:20:06],350
and working it you know when i’m sure
you know doing oil changes or whatever I

243
[00:20:06],350 –> [00:20:11],389
mean Mike was a big guy but not only was
the big guy but he have broad shoulders

244
[00:20:11],390 –> [00:20:18],20
and back when he was working on things
there were no lifts and stuff like that

245
[00:20:18],20 –> [00:20:23],720
he worked out on you know bare concrete
floor you know picking up transmissions

246
[00:20:23],720 –> [00:20:29],450
I mean he had arms that were you know
solid you may have been a a big heavy

247
[00:20:29],450 –> [00:20:31],430
guy but he was a solid guy

248
[00:20:31],430 –> [00:20:38],300
so a lot of it was just because of what
he did but he just it just this is what

249
[00:20:38],300 –> [00:20:43],730
he wanted to do it was it was what he
was meant to do but now he always

250
[00:20:43],730 –> [00:20:49],100
dreamed of having trucks that’s what
trucks on the road having a trucking

251
[00:20:49],100 –> [00:20:56],209
company and pick up to do that not once
but twice and the second time was when

252
[00:20:56],210 –> [00:21:00],140
we were living up in Pennsylvania we had
13 tractors on the road he had a little

253
[00:21:00],140 –> [00:21:04],340
shop down there with two mechanics that
you know help fix the trucks and he was

254
[00:21:04],340 –> [00:21:09],830
in his glory but then he had the
accident and I did whatever I could do

255
[00:21:09],830 –> [00:21:14],300
to keep those trucks running because I
knew if he didn’t have those trucks to

256
[00:21:14],300 –> [00:21:15],350
come back to

257
[00:21:15],350 –> [00:21:21],50
I’m not sure how much you would have
come back and hey he came back so what

258
[00:21:21],50 –> [00:21:24],50
were some of the roadblocks a hit over
the course of the years

259
[00:21:24],50 –> [00:21:29],960
well he did have heart surgery I don’t
remember exactly what year was $YEAR i

260
[00:21:29],960 –> [00:21:37],10
think it was like maybe 2000 2001 it was
the year william was born because Maria

261
[00:21:37],10 –> [00:21:46],100
had just had the baby and Mike went for
arm strut the stress test where they

262
[00:21:46],100 –> [00:21:49],730
going through the groin kick would
catherization

263
[00:21:51],460 –> [00:21:56],679
and they said he needed you need to have
in heart surgery so we went home that

264
[00:21:56],679 –> [00:22:00],730
day anyone back four days later and had
open-heart surgery and then after that

265
[00:22:00],730 –> [00:22:06],340
things kind of went downhill from that
just trying to get himself back into to

266
[00:22:06],340 –> [00:22:12],100
some kind of shape he was overweight you
know out of shape overweight and that

267
[00:22:12],100 –> [00:22:16],689
was his that was his biggest straw back
is that you know he would try diet after

268
[00:22:16],690 –> [00:22:23],440
diet after diet and then we would try
twice we went to doctors for the gastric

269
[00:22:23],440 –> [00:22:28],870
bypass surgery one we got exclusive as
like three days before the surgery and

270
[00:22:28],870 –> [00:22:33],10
the doctor said he wouldn’t do it
because it was too high of a risk then

271
[00:22:33],10 –> [00:22:38],440
we went over to the University of
Pennsylvania and they said now he was by

272
[00:22:38],440 –> [00:22:43],840
that time it he was older and he was too
high of a risk that they weren’t sure

273
[00:22:43],840 –> [00:22:47],889
whether he would come out from the
surgery so after two times have been

274
[00:22:47],890 –> [00:22:52],210
told that then he said forget it
basically his big biggest obstacle in

275
[00:22:52],210 –> [00:22:57],789
his life was this weight how exactly did
Uncle Mike work through being overweight

276
[00:22:57],789 –> [00:23:01],000
never did he suffered with it they
suffer with bad knees

277
[00:23:01],600 –> [00:23:06],189
he didn’t live long enough to overcome
it put it that way he really didn’t live

278
[00:23:06],190 –> [00:23:07],630
long enough to overcome it

279
[00:23:07],630 –> [00:23:11],890
the accident was really the beginning of
the end for him if you hadn’t had the

280
[00:23:11],890 –> [00:23:16],299
accident he may have by the accident
just I mean to put them in a really

281
[00:23:16],299 –> [00:23:21],490
great was only 67 when he died yeah
definitely gone too soon way to sin way

282
[00:23:21],490 –> [00:23:25],600
to send it was there any parts of his
dream that didn’t quite work out for him

283
[00:23:25],600 –> [00:23:31],779
I think the economy got so bad that he
tried to do everything the old way the

284
[00:23:31],779 –> [00:23:36],669
way he was used to doing things but the
world was changing the economy was

285
[00:23:36],669 –> [00:23:41],140
changing there was more repair shops
around when he was used to be in the

286
[00:23:41],140 –> [00:23:46],210
only one around then all of a sudden
there was more repair shops around new

287
[00:23:46],210 –> [00:23:50],320
trucks for coming out like foreign
trucks that were real affordable for

288
[00:23:50],320 –> [00:23:54],490
coming out so a lot of the customers
were going two new trucks so the work

289
[00:23:54],490 –> [00:23:56],750
wasn’t there for him

290
[00:23:56],750 –> [00:24:02],120
and he still wanted to operate the old
way like he never look towards the

291
[00:24:02],120 –> [00:24:07],280
future the way he should have as far as
how the world was changing because it

292
[00:24:07],280 –> [00:24:11],810
was the same way for so long it was so
successful for so long I used to stay

293
[00:24:11],810 –> [00:24:15],260
home you know one of these days because
used to complain about all the work i

294
[00:24:15],260 –> [00:24:19],10
said one of these days there won’t be
the world and the the one day came when

295
[00:24:19],10 –> [00:24:23],390
it just you know you’re looking for work
but that wasn’t him that was the way the

296
[00:24:23],390 –> [00:24:28],790
economy got that was in 2008 when kind
of the bottom fell out of everything for

297
[00:24:28],790 –> [00:24:32],210
everybody so if you were stranded on a
desert on with his family

298
[00:24:32],720 –> [00:24:35],930
what three things do you think you’d
want to have with him definitely

299
[00:24:35],930 –> [00:24:46],430
pistachios long . she owes probably his
truck is his purple pickup truck and

300
[00:24:46],430 –> [00:24:55],790
probably his Hershey bar with nuts will
regimes for the future like wow he was

301
[00:24:55],790 –> [00:25:02],270
really trying to establish a trucking
company he was hoping that you know

302
[00:25:02],270 –> [00:25:06],920
build on that something for his children
and his grandchildren shooter that you

303
[00:25:06],920 –> [00:25:10],970
know might help them have an easier life
in their future because of something he

304
[00:25:10],970 –> [00:25:15],680
had built but it was always this dream
to have a trucking company you know you

305
[00:25:15],680 –> [00:25:21],830
mentioned earlier about him being really
kind to the companies that dealt with

306
[00:25:21],830 –> [00:25:27],649
him one thing you didn’t really mention
was the the kindness to the level of

307
[00:25:27],650 –> [00:25:34],490
almost painfulness that he took letting
people use his storage or or whatever

308
[00:25:34],490 –> [00:25:41],750
and for many many in some cases forever
always we all happening with the window

309
[00:25:41],750 –> [00:25:50],120
water with no monetary well if he always
had an exterior of a grizzly bear but

310
[00:25:50],120 –> [00:25:52],399
inside he was a teddy bear

311
[00:25:52],400 –> [00:25:55],400
I mean if somebody came up with a sad
story

312
[00:25:55],400 –> [00:26:00],740
he he put his hand in his pocket to help
them out i sold over and over again if

313
[00:26:00],740 –> [00:26:06],350
somebody needed something he was there
and you know if someone came to

314
[00:26:06],860 –> [00:26:09],949
to him and they were having problems

315
[00:26:09],950 –> [00:26:17],299
money-wise then the end one instant was
that they wanted him to buy their house

316
[00:26:17],299 –> [00:26:21],650
so they could get the money so they
could pay and get their bill straight

317
[00:26:21],650 –> [00:26:27],110
down and then basically in two years
remortgaged the house and get it back

318
[00:26:27],620 –> [00:26:35],809
well I always say that no good deed goes
unpunished and his saying was always he

319
[00:26:35],809 –> [00:26:40],10
he would say my father always told
always told me that if you help somebody

320
[00:26:40],10 –> [00:26:42],620
out that will come back to you tenfold

321
[00:26:42],620 –> [00:26:45],770
well I never seem to come back to him
tenfold

322
[00:26:45],770 –> [00:26:50],480
no matter how he would help out it
always came back to bite him in the butt

323
[00:26:50],480 –> [00:26:53],750
no matter what I mean I’m still dealing
with that even after he’s gone

324
[00:26:53],750 –> [00:26:57],740
yeah I always still have situations
where you know he helped people out and

325
[00:26:57],740 –> [00:27:02],390
and then people take advantage of it you
know with him they didn’t because he was

326
[00:27:02],390 –> [00:27:08],780
a force to be reckoned with but I’m not
so I inherited a lot of the good deeds

327
[00:27:08],780 –> [00:27:12],889
that he did when he was you have
somebody came to him with the side story

328
[00:27:12],890 –> [00:27:18],200
he was always ready to help even if it
wasn’t monetary even if it was just

329
[00:27:18],200 –> [00:27:23],150
talking to someone or let’s go get
something to eat or you know he was

330
[00:27:23],150 –> [00:27:24],830
always ready to help somebody

331
[00:27:24],830 –> [00:27:28],490
so is there any last thoughts you’d like
to share oh just that I wish he had

332
[00:27:28],490 –> [00:27:32],660
lasted a lot longer than he lived a lot
longer and he would have loved to watch

333
[00:27:32],660 –> [00:27:37],190
his grandsons grow up because he did
love his grandsons when we left up in

334
[00:27:37],190 –> [00:27:43],250
Pennsylvania he would every night he’d
call Michael worried call William and

335
[00:27:43],250 –> [00:27:49],250
then it was funny he would call we
recall William and William go high pop

336
[00:27:49],250 –> [00:27:53],840
and Mike Witt said on William can you
loan me some money he said pop I don’t

337
[00:27:53],840 –> [00:27:54],500
have any money

338
[00:27:54],500 –> [00:27:59],210
William will you love me and will you
loan me a dollar and on friday i’ll give

339
[00:27:59],210 –> [00:28:04],940
you five no pop I’m not lending you any
money can i talk to Grandma about here

340
[00:28:04],940 –> [00:28:08],840
we can play never wants to talk to me
never wants to talk to me

341
[00:28:08],840 –> [00:28:14],59
well this one day William got Mike on
the phone and he kept talking and he

342
[00:28:14],59 –> [00:28:18],860
kept talking and my kids they don’t one
talk to Grandma no pop I want to talk to

343
[00:28:18],860 –> [00:28:20],260
you where you want to

344
[00:28:20],260 –> [00:28:24],310
up so when they really wanted to talk to
all men it was like okay now i

345
[00:28:24],310 –> [00:28:31],389
understood we can now he behaviorally
loves as two grandsons were like the

346
[00:28:31],390 –> [00:28:35],230
light of his life he really enjoyed
having the two boys don’t know whether

347
[00:28:35],230 –> [00:28:38],860
it would have been happy with girls but
he loved having the boys they you have a

348
[00:28:38],860 –> [00:28:42],669
man on the four-wheelers or have them on
the trucks you know we’d be in the

349
[00:28:42],670 –> [00:28:43],900
garage

350
[00:28:43],900 –> [00:28:46],930
Mike would be on his scooter and have
William in the front of the scooter

351
[00:28:46],930 –> [00:28:50],710
going around the shop or if we had a
front end loader or something in the

352
[00:28:50],710 –> [00:28:55],960
shop have William up there and we will
pretend he was you know moving the gears

353
[00:28:55],960 –> [00:29:03],130
and driving the truck so yeah definitely
he he loved his grandsons and they loved

354
[00:29:03],130 –> [00:29:07],180
him so well thank you for sharing all
that i really appreciate you coming on

355
[00:29:07],180 –> [00:29:08],110
the show

356
[00:29:08],110 –> [00:29:12],639
you’re welcome anytime take care thank
you for joining us for this episode of

357
[00:29:12],640 –> [00:29:14],960
the dreamers podcast

358
[00:29:14],960 –> [00:29:20],809
follow us on twitter and dreamers
podcast join us on facebook at

359
[00:29:20],809 –> [00:29:27],260
facebook.com slash dreamers podcast if
you or someone you know would like to be

360
[00:29:27],260 –> [00:29:33],980
a guest on the dreamers podcast please
send an email to j and j parr . co this

361
[00:29:33],980 –> [00:29:38],29
podcast is copyright 2014 by j parr .
comb

362
[00:29:49],180 –> [00:29:51],850
ok