Family pictures.

FOND MEMORIES SHARED FROM FAMILY AND FRIENDS

A story from his father-in-law

When I was in the shop he was cutting a hose.  He was slicing toward himself and he sliced his arm.  I asked hi,”Gregg didn’t you hear an inner voice saying, you are doing it the wrong way”. He said, “Yep, just as I cut myself”. 

A thought from his sister-in-law Michele Mesler

Gregg was a very caring person.  He always put his family and friends in front of himself.  A very special Uncle to Michael.  He would take him snowmobiling, which meant alot to Michael.

Gregg B. Traxler

October 19, 1962 to September 30, 2011

Though we mourn the loss of Gregg Traxler, the real story to contemplate today and in days to come is the life Gregg lived, a life he lived well.

He lived amongst us–his family, friends, neighbors, and community–for nearly forty-nine full years.  As a child, Gregg had the rare opportunity of growing up on one of the most beautiful pieces of property in rural, Western New York on the banks of the picturesque Oak Orchard River.  He was a lucky little boy, enjoying the raw beauty, bounty, and peace of the natural environment surrounding such a home during the early, formative years of his life.

Also as a boy, in school Gregg thrived in his favorite subject—shop–where his natural and outstanding ability for fixing things was kindled and fanned.  Over many years in business, owning and operating G & D Repair, Gregg solved countless car problems for family, friends, and customers while offering service not only with an eye- twinkling smile, but with a few good jokes thrown in for good measure.

For many, there is a picture fondly burned in our minds:  Gregg leaning against the door of your car or truck, just outside of the entrance to his repair shop, with a mischievous grin on his face as he is about to launch into a particularly good joke.

You could always count on Gregg to delve into even the most perplexing of fix-it problems, coming up with a solution to pretty much anything needing a repair.  It was well-known that Gregg loved all things related to cars, motorcycles, or anything with an engine and wheels.  During the course of his life when he wasn’t working diligently in his shop, he could be found driving a muscle car down the back roads of Orleans County, snowmobiling from dinner to dawn with family and friends, watching his kids racing motorcycles–or in days long since passed—joyously popping a wheelie on his motorcycle on Oak Orchard River Road as he passed by Wheelman’s Rest on his way back home.

He loved his family above all else: wife Debbie, children Josh, and Becky, his mother Anita, his father Dave and brothers Doug and Mark, as well as the rest of his extended family.  He took care of his family and friends, served his community, and helped pretty much anyone who needed it.   After his father passed away in 2008, Gregg spent a good deal of his free time helping out his mother, Anita, and caring for the property surrounding his old family home.  Once again, he was able to enjoy the beauty and serenity of his childhood home while driving a tractor, cutting trees, clearing brush, and sorting through thousands of pounds of motors and what-not collected by his Dad.

Take this little program home with you, tuck it away in a scrapbook or a drawer, and when you come across it later, let it stir up memories of Gregg for the life he lived, the people, places, and things he loved while living that life, and the many things he accomplished while doing so.  It was a good life, well lived and Gregg was a good man, well loved by many.

In the Old Testament, it is written that in his Fury, God drove Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. Well God, if you need any help with that ol’ Mopar, you’ve got Gregg now, and though he was “the  Chevy man”,  we’re sure he’ll lend a hand.