José A. González died at home on June 6, his obituary said. He was 54 years old. He spent his life working on cars and had a reputation as someone who could fix anything with wheels, and he would take on side jobs as a truck driver to make ends meet.
José started working at his dad’s auto mechanic shop in Puerto Rico when he was about twelve years old. For nearly 43 years, he practiced as a mechanic learning to work with every single car make and model out there. José could fix any car that came in front of him and every mechanic that knew him was impressed with his deep expertise as a mechanic. While this was his main profession, he also took on other jobs, such as a truck driver, tractor trailer driver, and passenger driver.
José passed on his passion for working on cars to his family. He inspired one of his grandsons to pick up the trade as well, his family said.
José had a larger-than-life presence. He was an outgoing man who could command any room with his sense of humor and funny stories, his family said. He leaves behind a large hole in the lives of many.
They've started a GoFundMe to help cover the cost of his funeral.
So far, the campaign has raised more than $5,100 of its $10,000 goal in less than a week.
A memorial service for José A. González is set for Thursday, June 15, at Graham, Putnam & Mahoney Funeral Parlors, 838 Main St. in Worcester, from 4 to 6 p.m. A reception will follow.
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