i am just a lurker that post's here and there- but i had a good friend that was a lifelong master v.w. mechanic. his name was bruce brimhall, he lived in arizona, and v.w.'s were his life. he lost a lifelong battle with diabetes.
i have known him since before i was born, he and his wife were some of the first people my parents met when they came here from new york back in 68' or so. he lived, breathed, and ate v.w., supporting himself and his family for over 40 years perhaps, not sure of the exact count.
in his time he produced many projects, from mild to wild. i rode in several of them, worked on a few, and always tried to keep a foot in his shop whether i was scraping valve covers, adjusting valves, or making runs to the machine shop.
many have known him, if you were not one of them then i am sorry. and if you had never heard of him before now, well at least you have. he never had a fancy website or advertised in any way. all of his business was word of mouth. he figured that if you came looking for him for help then he didn't owe you anything. if he advertised and asked for business then he owed you-
he was an asset to the v.w. community and will be missed.
treasure you time and your loved ones.
jesse dowling, verde valley arizona...