Wednesday, January 22, 2025
34.0°F

The backstory of a local business

by KERRI THORESON
| January 15, 2025 1:00 AM

This past Friday, I attended a retirement party for former owner Tracy Christopherson at Scott Shawver’s Auto Body and RV. The business was sold to longtime employee Mark Ferguson and his wife, Jennifer, last fall, and Tracy stayed on to work with Jennifer on the administration side. Friday was her last day of work.

On the face of it, this could be a routine announcement on the business pages of the newspaper but like most things there’s a really interesting and inspirational backstory. The business’ namesake, Scott Shawver, or Scotty as we all knew him, was Tracy’s brother. Both she and Mark worked at Scotty’s previous business for many years. When he opened Scott Shawver’s Auto Body in Post Falls in May 2014 it was the realization of a long-held dream for a state-of-the-art facility. He had earned a reputation as a skilled auto bodyman but also for his customer service, honesty and integrity. Scotty was an enthusiastic and generous benefactor to many in our communities.

Then the unimaginable happened three months after the opening when, on a beautiful August Saturday, Scotty drowned during a freak storm on Lake Coeur d’Alene. His family, staff and friends, the entire community, grieved the loss of a really exceptional human being.

So as I’m driving over to the shop Friday I was thinking about my friend, gone for a decade, and how his still thriving business is a testament to the people he was surrounded by.   

Many of their customers, if not most, never knew Scotty or recognized the handsome smiling man in the framed portrait in the showroom. But by knowing Tracy and Mark and many others in all departments of the business they actually do know all there is to know.

Scott was a good person who was surrounded by good people, especially his sister, Tracy, who set aside her own grief in those early days to ensure that his vision for the business continued. I really felt like he was there in spirit, happy for Tracy to head out on her next adventure and grateful that Mark will continue the mission. Full circle.

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So far this winter there haven’t been many days when both the high and low temperatures have been below freezing and into the teens, optimum colored ice ball weather. Good news on the horizon, though, with this weekend’s forecast. Make your ice balls starting Friday and be sure to let them freeze solid for a couple of days.

Fill a balloon about two-thirds with water and add several drops of food coloring before tying the balloon and shaking it to mix the food coloring. Set outdoors on a flat surface, not touching each other. Exhibit patience for about 48 hours before removing the balloon from the frozen ball.

Enjoy!

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Happy birthday today to Rex Grace, Gayle Erickson, Paula Laws, Betsy Anderson, Kelli Ormesher and James Roberge. Tomorrow, Kenny Peterson, Gail Wilson, Anita Millward, John Keener, Shelly Robson, Kelly Blaski, Mary Mort, Nick Dimico, Bill Miller and Elaine Cook will hear the birthday song. On Friday, Paul Anderson, Valentina Tripepi-Shoop, Eden Irgens, Michelle Martens and Charles Newman put on their party hats. Beatrice (Bea) Fisher (102!). Bea graduated from Coeur d’Alene High School in 1941, marking another year of a most wonderful life Saturday. Also celebrating their big day Saturday are Kenna Scott Lamas, Travis Chaney, Peg Suenkel, Aubrey Davis, Mike Webb (75!), BJ Holinka, Suzanne Courtney, Amanda Kralicek, Kristy Walsh, Mike Taylor and Nina Tikalsky. Austin Isakson (30!), Wade McLean, Roy Carlson, Gavin Krieg and Terry Drapeau take another trip around the sun Sunday. On Monday, Bob Short, Mary Spridgeon and Larry Sackett celebrate birthdays. Ryan Davis, Chelsea Camarata, Nicole Jones (21!), Carrie Beals and Mary Crosby blow out the candles Jan. 21.

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Kerri Rankin Thoreson is a member of the National Society of Newspaper Columnists and the former publisher of the Post Falls Tribune. Main Street appears every Wednesday in The Press and Kerri can be contacted on Facebook or via email thoreson.kerri@gmail.com.