A Fine Farewell
Yesterday I took the afternoon to attend a funeral of a man that I never personally met. I felt obligated to attend. He was the founder and CEO of a company that does work which I have the deepest respect, even reverence for. I knew Neal through his work.
I attended the funeral of Neal Gerber. Neal died too young at the age of 66. He was the founder of the Roadster Shop in Mundelein, the town where I now live. When Neal’s company moved to Mundelein a number of years ago, he hired my company to provide a monthly maintenance service, which continues to the present.
The 
Roadster Shop builds street rods. To say build, or to construct a street road is to refer to uncountable man-hours of trial and error application of engineering, assembly, electrical, aesthetic, a working knowledge of physics, the list goes on. To create a street rod is to fashion by hand the equivalent of Michael Angelo’s David in a automotive mode.
This is what Neal Gerber did, this is the business that he, along with his wife and two sons established. The Roadster Shop employs a large staff that are competent to administer and to serve as the midwife over many months of planning, design, and fabrication — the vision which each client brings to the Roadster Shop. A process of concept 
development, careful frame selection with engine combination, metal body preparation, interior design and build-out, paint application, and finally testing in the dyno-room is pains taking. The end result is visually seductive to the smallest detail, and a pure joy to drive on the road. It is not unlike the miracle of a birth, the giving of life. It is a melding of mind and muscle, form and force, reminiscent of a work of Nature.
His sons, Phil and Jeremy, will continue the business in good form. The business will prosper to the benefit of every family that has a member employed there.
I felt honored to be at the memorial service surrounded by Neal’s friends, family, and many customers, those whose lives have been touched by this man. Farewell my friend. Your love of life, practice of excellence, and dedication to your wife, children and grand children lives on.
The photos are of apple blossoms coming to peak in my backyard. The Macintosh apple tree was planted many years ago as a memorial to another family member who has passed on. Their delicacy, and wordless beauty stand every year as a sign that no act, and no work is ended,—everything has a ripple effect, a ceaseless influence upon the future.
