A Tribute To Gene T. Tompkins
9/22/1927 - 1/23/2010
“I would like to extend our thanks to all who have been so very kind to Dad and our family. Dad will continue to be a part of who we are every day. He taught me that doing the job the right way is the only way to do the job, no matter what the job is. He taught all of us patience and hard work are the old-school way of doing things, both of which are something we could all use a little more of in our daily lives. My Dad was one of the people that has made this country great. I am blessed to have walked the earth with him for so many wonderful years."
November 26, 2019:
Found this gem in with my Dads tool box while I was up at the house this weekend. We bought our first, used and old electric forklift out of the scrap pile in Long Beach for $500 before it was chopped up. It did not have a charger, so we found an old one for cheap on eBay with no drawings on how to connect it and all the jumpers were missing. He made it his mission to ring it out, document and test it, and wouldn’t you know it, we charged the forklift and used it for the next couple years until we upgraded to a 1960 propane Clark. I am never surprised when I find this kind of little gift and not a day goes by without thinking of him.
June 7, 2019:
"To all of our friends that continue to be so kind and supportive to our family and the business. It is closing in on 10 years since we lost my dad Gene. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him, he even visits in my dreams from time to time. My mom Joan has recently beat cancer and all of mom and dad’s grandkids (Scott, Jessica, Kali & Shelbi) have grown up into fantastic adults. I am sure my dad looks in on them with that grin he was famous for every chance he gets. The biggest blessing I get more often than not is the little gifts that keep popping up around the shop, maybe a sketch he made, a wrench with “GT” on it, a fixture that is still used here, even his boots that are on the shelf in my big tool box. Comically, I still use the welding hood that I wrote “Hands Off, Except Dad” on the top in yellow pen, I was not brave enough to direct “Hands Off” at him. One of the biggest surprises of this page on the website is how many conversations I have with old and new friends about how much they appreciate this section of the website and we visit about our dads for a while. Well, that’s all for now. I continue to be grateful for everyday I was able to spend on this earth with my dad.”
-John Tompkins, President/CEO
