Profile of Philip, a Fremont resident who has been fixing clocks for 88 years.
In the small Colorado town where I grew up, people brought their broken clocks to the local jewelry store to be repaired. Those that could not be fixed were donated to kids who wanted to play with them. The first one I got couldn’t be fixed because I didn’t have the parts, but a few weeks later I was given another one that was the same model. By taking parts out of that one, I was able to get the other one working. I was eight years old and have been fixing clocks ever since.
I came to California in 1936, but after losing my job went back to Colorado. A high point of that trip was crossing the Bay Bridge from San Francisco to Oakland. It took four hours and cost 65 cents. In 1939, I came back to the Bay Area and got a job as a mechanic for the bus company. I retired in 1980 at 65.
My six children, 20 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and 5 great-greats are spread out all over the country. I only have one son who lives nearby. My wife and I learned about Meals On Wheels about a year ago when I went to the hospital for some tests. I’m 96 and she’s 86, so we were having a hard time keeping up with shopping and cooking. The meals are healthy which helps me manage my diabetes.
