Eulogy by Thomas Bonelli
Together we mourn John’s loss, honor his memory, and celebrate the life of someone who will be deeply missed.
In one of the books written by Dr. Charles Stanley, he states that some people come into your life for a reason, some people
come in your life for a season, and some people come into your life for a lifetime. John and Betty have been an important
part of my life for over thirty years. I know many of you also share a similar experience. For some of us, what started off
as a chance encounter at a Swap Meet or Car Show transcended into a lifelong friendship.
Anyone who knew John knows of his love of American automobiles and his fondness for Cadillac’s in particular. John lived
for the thrill of finding a dealership with a load of undiscovered new OLD stock parts. I had the privilege of accompanying
him on a few of his buying excursions. These are memories I will never forget. John was an honest businessman and a
skilled negotiator.
On one of these trips we stopped at an old GM Dealership. When we first walked in, we were overwhelmed by the quantity
and quality of what was available for purchase. These parts ranged from the late 1940’s to early 1960’s. The owner was
willing to sell the whole lot. After about five hours, when we were finished with separating everything out, the owner hit
us with an outrageous price for the lot. John gave me a wink and proceeded to ask the owner how much he wanted for
each individual item, purposely starting with the smaller value items first. The owner got tired after adding up so many of
these small trinkets and finally negotiated a fair offer with us. I realized only afterwards that this was John’s strategy.
On several other occasions, I accompanied John to various swap meets. It was not uncommon for John to run into his
competitors at these meets. One or two loved to tell John that they had already checked everything out and there were
no good deals or parts left to purchase. John’s comment was always the same, “Since we are already here, me and
Tommy will take a look around.” More often than not, within a few hours we would run into one of these individuals
again with our arms filled with valuable parts. The comments were always the same. “Where did you find that at? I
can’t believe I missed that.” John would always say, “Sometimes it’s a good idea to take a second look.”
John was never for the speculator. He was for the hobbyists who loved their cars, drove their cars and wanted to
maintain their car’s originality.
John was happiest looking at cars and parts, reading his “Hemmings” or other car magazines or traveling to find cars or parts.
To his last days, he was still talking about what car he wanted to purchase next.
So many people have called Betty and have a story or two to tell about their time with John… so many good memories, good
laughs and personal mementos. People have commented on his influence in their lives and how he could always be trusted and
counted on. John has also been a major influence in my life and gave me the confidence many years ago to start my own automotive business.
Recently at a church service that my wife and I attended, the minister gave a sermon about the importance of teaching. He said
that the knowledge that we accrued in our lifetime is insignificant if we hold onto it and do not pass it onto others. John
freely gave advice to anyone that called upon him for help. He was always willing to pass on his experience and knowledge
of American automobiles.
Personally I can say without any hesitation or reservation, that John would never compromise his morals, his values, or his integrity
for anyone or anything. He never treated a person as being less and when it came to assessing a situation or an individual he was
always fair. Bottom line, John could always be trusted.
John and Betty were married for over forty years. I believe that for a man to be truly successful, he needs a strong, loving, woman
by his side. This completes him. From things John has shared with me and from what I have seen, Betty has been an incredible wife
and was always there for John in every way. Throughout the years Betty has always been supportive and stood by John not only
through the good times but also when John needed her the most. They made a great team.
In closing, I want to thank God for guiding my thoughts and my words. Betty and David, thank you for asking me to speak about
John today. It has truly been an honor.
If while we are here we can make a difference in even one person’s life, then we have left a part of us behind that is everlasting.
John made a difference in many people’s lives. He will be missed, however, John’s memory will live on in our hearts forever.
We are all born with a destiny and we never know when God is going to call us home. If we have a spiritual focus and we believe
in the resurrection, we can all feel confident and rest assured that John is in a better place.
"May God bless each and every one of you…." Thomas Bonelli
