Rural Routes: Marble Hill mechanic Pat Grippo reflects on life, plans for future

Editor’s Note: Rural Routes is an ongoing photo feature series about Southeast Missouri residents.

MARBLE HILL, Mo. — Pat Grippo moved to Marble Hill to start a repair shop June 29, 1992.

“My birthday, six o’clock. That’s when the moving truck pulled up to my house in town.”

It was a long way from his former home in upstate New York, but not so far as the move he made in ’72, from his birthplace in Italy to the United States.

“I was 20 years old when I got here,” he said. “I was a mechanic since I was 15, so I’m going on 52 years of turning wrenches. Fifty-two years — that’s a life. That’s a lifetime for some people.”

Grippo said his shop has always been a one-man operation. He said he's never needed help around the shop and likely couldn't get it even if he did.TYLER GRAEF

A few decades on, Pat’s Auto Repair is still there, and so is Grippo, the shop’s sole mechanic, day in and day out, right in the middle of town.

He said he prefers working alone, and would likely have trouble finding good help anyway, but admitted 52 years of turning wrenches has taken a toll.

“That’s why I can straighten out this hand, but this hand here, it’s crooked,” he said, holding up two grease-blackened hands.

And, he said, the older he gets, the quicker time seems to pass.

“Tomorrow’s another weekend. The other day was Monday and tomorrow’s Friday,” he said, almost incredulous. “I would give five years of my life right now for one year back when I was 20, 25. ... I remember the good old days, you worked all week [and] on the weekend, you cleaned. You washed your car. You traveled. You went to see your girlfriend, you cruise down the main streets, you went to the bar with a friend. All that is gone. Now it’s all work, work, work.”

Closing up shop for the day Thursday, Grippo mused on his plans for the future. "My daughter lives in Fruitland. I was thinking of buying a few acres up there, building a new house. I got 320 acres about 11 miles west of here ... 320 acres and it's for sale. With a house. And a lake. And ponds. ... I think I'm changing my mind. If I could sell that 200 in the back, get enough money to pay Joey off, finish fixing the house ..."TYLER GRAEF

But now, on an idle Thursday afternoon, the work was done. There was time for a smoke and some chit-chat with his friend and contractor Ismael Rodriguez. The Cardinals had put up 10 or 11 runs in the first inning the night before, Grippo said.

But before long, Grippo had to head home to put the chickens to bed and make sure no raccoons can get at them. A raccoon had recently eaten eight of his chickens and a peacock at his home.

“How could a ’coon fit through a hole that small?” he wondered. “I paid 100 bucks for that peacock.”

Closing up the shop for the day, Grippo mused on his plans for the future.

“My daughter lives in Fruitland. I was thinking of buying a few acres up there, building a new house. I got 320 acres about 11 miles west of here ... 320 acres and it’s for sale. With a house. And a lake. And ponds. ... I think I’m changing my mind. If I could sell that 200 in the back, get enough money to pay Joey off, finish fixing the house ...”

He said he would have to think more on it.