‘Murph’ closing up shop

By Sharon MacGregor
Posted 11/4/20

T & R Service Center on Route 208 in Wallkill has closed as of October 30. This is not a Halloween trick – Tim Murphy will be selling off all equipment from now through November 30 then …

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‘Murph’ closing up shop

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T & R Service Center on Route 208 in Wallkill has closed as of October 30. This is not a Halloween trick – Tim Murphy will be selling off all equipment from now through November 30 then closing the doors forever.

Dressed in his signature blue button down, embroidered, and pressed shirt, Murphy was able to spend a little time sharing how he came to this decision from his office chair at the shop where many have spoken to him through the years. He began by saying, “It was October 1, 1966 when I got my start in this business. I remember very clearly, I went on my 16th birthday to get a haircut, then a job at the local gas station in Yonkers. The owner was a good guy.”

Following along mathematically, Murphy has been a mechanic for 55 years. “I opened here, at this location, 39 years ago, but I’ve been in Orange County for 44 years. I’m 71 years old now, been married for 49 years, have four kids, and 10 grandkids,” he said.

No calculations were made about how many vehicles he has touched, but he did share, “I have had entire families that have been loyal customers and in some cases for three generations.” That’s a lot of wrench turning.
Asked why he thought people would be upset about his retirement, Murphy said, “I am always about the people – the customers. I had one of my customers come in recently and he hung his head and shook it and said, ‘Where am I going to go? No one else has ever touched my car.’ I always gave my customers a personal touch. I’d pick up their vehicles and drop them off. I take a big interest in my customers and know them on a personal basis. It’s hard to tell people I am leaving. It feels like I’m giving up something.”

Bringing the interview around to vehicles, through his long career, Murphy says the Volkswagen models used to be the simplest, back in the 1970’s to work on and now they are pretty sophisticated.

“My own favorite car was a classic Chevy I used to have that was driven by Neil Armstrong and built by Jim Rathmann, the 1960 Indianapolis 500 winner. It was black and had a Cadillac engine. It was a sharp looking car,” Murphy smiled.

The “R” in “T & R” stands for his wife, Rose Ann, who is a retired nurse and has been encouraging her husband to take care of himself and retire. “Covid [closing things down] didn’t help,” he adds, “It didn’t pick back up here until June, but this is a dying business and I’ve had some recent health issues, but I feel great now. Folks lease cars or some have those with extended warranties, so they bring them back to the dealer for service, and some use those oil change places. I’ve been lucky to always have a great mechanic on staff. Bob McCord has been with me for 12 years.”

Murphy speaks with great pride about the accomplishments of all four of his children; three sons and one daughter and shares his oldest granddaughter has just enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. “She named me Poppy and that’s what all my grandkids call me. They are all just wonderful.”

Reflecting on the many years he has been a resident of the Montgomery area community, Murphy recounts being an ambulance driver, Scout leader, Lion’s Club member and Little League Player Agent.

“We’re going to travel more, sure,” he said, “But we will still be around. And to other mechanics and garage owners, ‘Turn off the light when you leave,’ this is a dying business.”