By Scott Fowler
Hal was born May 12, 1949. He grew up in the city of Mt. Healthy, Ohio where he spent his time building hot rods and drag racing on Colerain Avenue much to the annoyance of the local police. In High School he earned extra money running a wrecker for Hardertās Garage which planted a seed of love for the towing industry. After graduation, like his father before him, he joined the Navy. After serving his four years, he mustered out and got his first cop job in Santa Rosa County, Florida as a Deputy Sheriff. A few years later he moved back home and took a job with Colerain Township Police. During those years, Hal also had his own body shop. When the Colerain force was disbanded, he landed a job with the Union Township Police Department in Butler County which is now West Chester Township. He retired from that career in 1989 after being injured in an on-duty vehicle collision. Ā He hated leaving a career that he loved but wasnāt going to sit around. Instead, he started an insurance agency. He didnāt forget his roots though and built a large commercial clientele in the towing industry as well as the repair and body shop industries. He built that into the thriving agency it was in 2023. At that point he sold the agency and retired yet again.
Hal worked tirelessly to help the towing industry in general, and the Towing and Recovery Association of Ohio specifically where his Agency was an Associate Member for many years. He was an invaluable resource for members and advised them on claims handling and dealing with the insurance industry that was so frequently at odds with the towing industriesā goals. They respected him and considered him one of theirs to the point that they elected him to be President of Ohio Region 8 serving southwest Ohio. He served in that post for six years.
On the home front, Hal was married three times and raised 4 kids and 3 step kids. He used to like to brag that he had kids born across 3 decades. Those 4 kids and 3 step kids spawned 20 grandchildren.
Outside of work, Hal had many passions and hobbies. He loved photography in the days when cameras contained film. He also liked developing his own film in the makeshift darkroom in his garage. He was an avid wood worker and was always building something. Another passion which stayed with him from his youth was racing. He loved going to NASCAR and NHRA races as often as he could and when he couldnāt he caught as many as he could on TV.
Hal passed away peacefully, October 28th after battling an illness. The Towing and Recovery Association of Ohio turned out in force for his funeral and honored him with a tow truck procession leading his hearse to the cemetery.
