At the age of 39, Tim came to work for us under the supervision of a Job Coach. The agreement was a 2-week trial period. His job would be a Courtesy Tech! The responsibility of a Courtesy Tech was to vacuum the vehicles, clean the windows inside and out, and check the pressure on the tires. He performed his job better than others. After two weeks, his Job Coach came once a week to check on him, then once every two weeks. He worked 30 hours a week.
Our shop was an automotive shop that specialized in repairs and preventative maintenance services. We were open 6 days a week and closed on Sunday.
Tim lived in the back of his parents’ house for over a decade. He never associated with the outside world or his family. He was very quiet at work and kept to himself. He never attended any events at the shop or Employee Appreciation Days. Someone dropped him off and picked him up every day. Tim had never been anywhere. His world was very shallow.
One day Tim told me that many comments that were typed in under comments on the bay screen had misspelled words. The next day I put him into Upper Bay Lube Tech training. He did very well but was extremely nervous. He finally outgrew it and made an excellent Tech. He never wanted to talk to the customer. It took him months to be able to communicate with the customer at any level.
After 10 years of employment, we offered him a trip to go on a cruise to the Caribbean. He immediately said no. My wife worked on him for weeks, and we realized he had never been out of town and had never been on an airplane. We got him a Driver’s License, a passport, and gave him a purpose to live.
We took Tim with us on a five-day cruise and he loved it. One night he was in the gammy room visiting with other customers and having a few drinks. He stepped out of his comfort zone and really enjoyed himself. The next morning, we had an excursion planned and I couldn’t wake him up, so we left him in his room. He got off the boat and went to the beach by himself and returned on time. He never missed another excursion!
Tim worked into one of the finest Lube Techs that I have ever had. Before we sold the shop, he was able to perform any function that a Lube Tech was responsible to do. He was the best Customer Service Tech in the shop. He also trained other techs, and many techs came to him for advice. Tim was very calm, dependable, and non-confrontational. He visited with customers and had friends.
When the shop sold, he was the only Tech that stayed with the shop and far exceeded the new company’s expectations. His sales placed him above everyone in the shop and the entire district.
After a year with the new owners, Tim was offered a Shop Manager position but turned it down. The Manager is responsible for upset customers!
Tim’s parents told us we saved his life and we did. Tim now has his own house full of furniture and two very nice cars in his garage.
Tim lost his brother, whom he dearly loved, in an accident and his mother and father have now passed. He now goes on yearly vacations with his uncle and relatives to California.
Tim was summoned to jury duty. We discussed what would be expected of him. I never heard back from him, so I reached out to him one day regarding his experience as a juror. He told me he canceled because of anxiety attacks. He didn’t want me to know because I would be disappointed in him. I told him he couldn’t disappoint me because I loved him.
Tim and I are very close, and we communicate on a weekly basis. We go out to dinner and help each other with appointments if we can’t get help. I have the utmost respect for Tim, and he has the same for me. The shop manager told me that no one better ever mess with Tim. He is perfect in my eyes also.
Copyright © 2026 Marsha Luke – Rights for non-commercial reproduction granted: May be copied in its entirety, but neither retyped nor edited.