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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 13, 2004 Bill Leitz, 72, was brought to tears when his friends and family surprised him with an expensive new paint job and interior for his old beater Dodge Ram. �I didn�t even try to talk, I was so choked up,� said Leitz. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Surprise pickup makeover Family surprises Bill Leitz by having his beater truck painted and re-upholstered By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune TALENT — When Medford resident Bill Leitz got a phone call from his daughter a week ago saying she’d backed his truck into a car, he took the news in stride. Though he’s just shy of 73, he had just put in a long, hard week of work. But the truck was an old beater, and he’d never been one to get worked up over something that was already done. He asked if everyone was OK, then slipped on his shoes before making his way down to a small body shop in Talent to see the damage on the evening of Oct. 3. His daughter, Phoenix resident Nancy Orr, was waiting outside. Rather than finding his 1984 Dodge Ram pick-up more damaged than the several dozen dings and dents it already had, Leitz was greeted by cheering grandchildren and a handful of friends saying that they’d "pimped his ride," a term derived from an MTV program, "Pimp my Ride," in which mechanics turn beaters into customs. Advertisement The truck sported a brand new coat of shiny blue paint, was missing its many dimples, and the vinyl interior had been re-colored a shiny black. Leitz was brought to tears by the sight. Leitz’ daughter, Phoenix resident Nancy Orr, said her friend, Performance Auto Refinishing owner Rob Scott, had earlier approached her about doing something special for her dad. Scott had known Leitz over the years through working in law enforcement and at a local tavern. Aside from being the kind of person to "do absolutely anything for anyone," Orr said her dad, an Idaho native who helped raise five daughters, had been a hard worker his entire life. Leitz grew up on a farm, served 20 years in the Air Force, another 13 working for the Jackson County Jail and, when he got bored sitting at home, worked his way up to full-time at Valley Web Printing in Medford. He plans to retire for the third time this month — something he has been insisting on since summertime. "My dad has worked all his life," Orr said. "I’m not sure he’s even going to stop at this point. Everyone who knows him thinks the world of him. "There are a lot of people who really, really like him and he’s never gotten a big, fat surprise. If anyone deserved this to happen to them, it was my dad." To get the truck away from Leitz, Orr asked to borrow it to help some friends. "They told me they were using it to go to the dump and move some stuff," confirmed Leitz. He was speechless when it was returned to him. "I ‘bout fell over at first," he said. "I think it was about 10 seconds later big drops of water came running down my cheeks and I couldn’t shut it off. I didn’t even try to talk, I was so choked up. "The truck they took in � and the one they gave back � I don’t know. It just about floored me." Scott said doing something special for "a guy with the drive to retire three times" was the right thing to do. Scott, who first met Leitz working as a Phoenix police reserve officer, said he felt someone should do something special for a guy who would "give anyone the shirt off his back." Scott organized a crew to sand and clean up the truck’s interior while paint manufacturer PPG and Automotive Paint Specialists in Medford donated supplies to turn the white truck a shiny Mercedes Metallic Blue. All the work was done in a matter of about three days. "He’s the only person I’ve known that’s retired three times, and we did it because nobody’s ever done anything for him" Scott said. "It just seemed like nobody had ever given him something for nothing." Former co-worker and friend Jackson County sheriff’s Lt. Dan Penland, said no one was more deserving than his former sergeant. "He was always one of those guys you could really count on," said Penland, who now manages the county jail. "He was not only a supervisor. You could consider him a friend, but he knew where the line was. "There was not much down time when Sgt. Leitz was around. He kept everybody on their toes but you always knew he had your back. You wouldn’t find anyone who was a harder worker � he taught me an awful lot about how to treat people. ... He was quite a guy." Orr was grateful that those who knew her dad felt the same way she did. "When he saw it he looked like he was tearing up, so I had to kind of grab his arm," Orr said. "It was just awesome. I keep seeing his face over and over. I said ‘I got to you, dad! Dad, we pimped your ride!’ " Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Salvia Divinorum Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s