Matt-98AHU
Loose Nut Behind the Wheel Vendor
Thanks to Facebook algorithms, I did not see this until many days after the fact. But friend and regular here on TDIClub, John Jackson, has passed away.
Early on in my foray into business as a mobile TDI repair technician here in California, John had me come to his house and stay while I repaired and upgraded his old B4 Passat a few times. He also even made it to the occasional, and now defunct but legendary Bay Area GTGs.
Never shy of sharing his opinion and straightforward, but also gracious, I appreciated the man a lot. More than I ever told him.
This now has me thinking back to when I did the Eurotuning 6 speed conversion on his B4V along with the shift linkage upgrade, almost think he was happier with the shift linkage improvement than he was the 6 speed. Always a joy to see someone pleasantly surprised at how much more enjoyable their car was just made with help from my work. But that's besides the point.
Most memorable to me was after we completed the test drive, he asked if I wanted a beer. We stopped at a brewpub not far from his house and had a couple, took a growler to go. Unbeknownst to me, he was ignoring his cell phone, apparently his equally fiery wife Anita had been repeatedly trying to get ahold of him so she could plan dinner accordingly.
That didn't go over so well... we both got kicked out of the house that night... The growler then also got consumed at the hotel between us and generally just enjoyed the conversation.
John was a good man and I will certainly miss him and the memory of that trip in particular will always stand out in my mind. Maybe it's a little too much to share and not exactly the proudest moment for either of us I'm sure, but it's just what stands out the most to me. I enjoyed his company.
Requiescat in Pace, John.
Early on in my foray into business as a mobile TDI repair technician here in California, John had me come to his house and stay while I repaired and upgraded his old B4 Passat a few times. He also even made it to the occasional, and now defunct but legendary Bay Area GTGs.
Never shy of sharing his opinion and straightforward, but also gracious, I appreciated the man a lot. More than I ever told him.
This now has me thinking back to when I did the Eurotuning 6 speed conversion on his B4V along with the shift linkage upgrade, almost think he was happier with the shift linkage improvement than he was the 6 speed. Always a joy to see someone pleasantly surprised at how much more enjoyable their car was just made with help from my work. But that's besides the point.
Most memorable to me was after we completed the test drive, he asked if I wanted a beer. We stopped at a brewpub not far from his house and had a couple, took a growler to go. Unbeknownst to me, he was ignoring his cell phone, apparently his equally fiery wife Anita had been repeatedly trying to get ahold of him so she could plan dinner accordingly.
That didn't go over so well... we both got kicked out of the house that night... The growler then also got consumed at the hotel between us and generally just enjoyed the conversation.
John was a good man and I will certainly miss him and the memory of that trip in particular will always stand out in my mind. Maybe it's a little too much to share and not exactly the proudest moment for either of us I'm sure, but it's just what stands out the most to me. I enjoyed his company.
Requiescat in Pace, John.
I remember John making the cross country trek to a few Fests. He will be missed.
