Tweet
Gene Meyers of Hawthorne
died Monday, two days after making the rounds of his North Jersey dealerships. He was 76.
Gene Meyers, shown in the side-view mirror of a Hummer at Paramus Auto Mall, where he was a partner. The Hawthorne resident died Monday, two days after making the rounds of his North Jersey dealerships. He took ill suddenly over the weekend, said his stepson, Steven Barna, president of Hawthorne Chevrolet.
Mr. Meyers, a Hawthorne High School graduate and an Army veteran of the Korean War, started working in 1956 at the Hawthorne dealership, which his uncle established in 1927. He built it into one of the nation's top sellers of Chevys and picked up other dealerships along the way, notably Malcolm Konner Chevrolet on Route 17 in Paramus, which he renamed Paramus Auto Mall.
At his death, Mr. Meyers was a partner in Hawthorne Chevrolet, Paramus Auto Mall, Route 23 Auto Mall (Ford and Nissan) in Butler, Buick-GMC of Mahwah and Cadillac of Mahwah.
"Gene was one of those successful small-business owners who never lost sight of where he started," said Jim Appleton, president of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers, or NJCAR, a 530-member trade group.
"His businesses are major employers, major centers of economic activity and, not least, major institutions in the communities they served. He was the kind of guy who makes me proud to represent new-car dealers."
Mr. Meyers preached the importance of giving back to the communities that supported his dealerships, Barna said. Some of Mr. Meyers' contributions ? a Chevy TrailBlazer to the Waldwick Police Department's K-9 unit, a Chevy Suburban to The Valley Hospital's Mobile Intensive Care Unit ? were mentioned in the newspaper. Many went unnoticed.
Boys & Girls Club
His favorite cause was the Boys & Girls Club of Hawthorne. Mr. Meyers had served on its board since 1968 and was the club's "top supporter," said CEO Tom Demko. Ten years ago, a preschool addition was christened the Gene and Flo Meyers Wing.
"Generations of kids in Hawthorne have been impacted by his leadership and generosity," Demko said.
Appleton said Mr. Meyers, by virtue of his more than 50 years in the business, "was extraordinarily helpful" in formulating NJCAR policies for car dealers and plotting the trade group's direction.
"Gene saw it all," Appleton said. "He knew when to hit the panic button and when to take it in stride."
Indeed, Mr. Meyers and his businesses weathered gas shortages, recessions and wars in the Persian Gulf ? all of which sent car buyers into hibernation. His most difficult moment, his stepson said, was the June 2009 bankruptcy declaration by General Motors Corp., the maker of Chevrolet. The auto maker is now largely owned by the U.S. government.
"I never thought I would see the General have to reorganize as a new GM," Mr. Meyers told The Record at the time.
Survivors include his wife, Florence; his children, Mark Meyers and Cynthia Nicols, both of Hawthorne; his stepchildren, Steven Barna of Wyckoff, Ronald Barna of Mahwah and Scott Barna of Ringwood; eight grandchildren, and a sister, Alice Meyers of Levittown, N.Y.
Visiting is tonight from 7 to 9 and Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Browning-Forshay Funeral Home, Hawthorne. The funeral Mass will be Friday at 9:30 a.m. at St. Anthony's R.C. Church, Hawthorne. Entombment will be in Laurel Grove Memorial Park Mausoleum, Totowa.
E-mail: [email protected]
died Monday, two days after making the rounds of his North Jersey dealerships. He was 76.
Gene Meyers, shown in the side-view mirror of a Hummer at Paramus Auto Mall, where he was a partner. The Hawthorne resident died Monday, two days after making the rounds of his North Jersey dealerships. He took ill suddenly over the weekend, said his stepson, Steven Barna, president of Hawthorne Chevrolet.
Mr. Meyers, a Hawthorne High School graduate and an Army veteran of the Korean War, started working in 1956 at the Hawthorne dealership, which his uncle established in 1927. He built it into one of the nation's top sellers of Chevys and picked up other dealerships along the way, notably Malcolm Konner Chevrolet on Route 17 in Paramus, which he renamed Paramus Auto Mall.
At his death, Mr. Meyers was a partner in Hawthorne Chevrolet, Paramus Auto Mall, Route 23 Auto Mall (Ford and Nissan) in Butler, Buick-GMC of Mahwah and Cadillac of Mahwah.
"Gene was one of those successful small-business owners who never lost sight of where he started," said Jim Appleton, president of the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers, or NJCAR, a 530-member trade group.
"His businesses are major employers, major centers of economic activity and, not least, major institutions in the communities they served. He was the kind of guy who makes me proud to represent new-car dealers."
Mr. Meyers preached the importance of giving back to the communities that supported his dealerships, Barna said. Some of Mr. Meyers' contributions ? a Chevy TrailBlazer to the Waldwick Police Department's K-9 unit, a Chevy Suburban to The Valley Hospital's Mobile Intensive Care Unit ? were mentioned in the newspaper. Many went unnoticed.
Boys & Girls Club
His favorite cause was the Boys & Girls Club of Hawthorne. Mr. Meyers had served on its board since 1968 and was the club's "top supporter," said CEO Tom Demko. Ten years ago, a preschool addition was christened the Gene and Flo Meyers Wing.
"Generations of kids in Hawthorne have been impacted by his leadership and generosity," Demko said.
Appleton said Mr. Meyers, by virtue of his more than 50 years in the business, "was extraordinarily helpful" in formulating NJCAR policies for car dealers and plotting the trade group's direction.
"Gene saw it all," Appleton said. "He knew when to hit the panic button and when to take it in stride."
Indeed, Mr. Meyers and his businesses weathered gas shortages, recessions and wars in the Persian Gulf ? all of which sent car buyers into hibernation. His most difficult moment, his stepson said, was the June 2009 bankruptcy declaration by General Motors Corp., the maker of Chevrolet. The auto maker is now largely owned by the U.S. government.
"I never thought I would see the General have to reorganize as a new GM," Mr. Meyers told The Record at the time.
Survivors include his wife, Florence; his children, Mark Meyers and Cynthia Nicols, both of Hawthorne; his stepchildren, Steven Barna of Wyckoff, Ronald Barna of Mahwah and Scott Barna of Ringwood; eight grandchildren, and a sister, Alice Meyers of Levittown, N.Y.
Visiting is tonight from 7 to 9 and Thursday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. at Browning-Forshay Funeral Home, Hawthorne. The funeral Mass will be Friday at 9:30 a.m. at St. Anthony's R.C. Church, Hawthorne. Entombment will be in Laurel Grove Memorial Park Mausoleum, Totowa.
E-mail: [email protected]
Comment