Upon his arrival in the late 1960s, Ed changed the face of the automotive business in Northeastern Wisconsin forever. He firmly believed that you need to spend money to make money and achieved local celebrity status by his full-page newspaper ads and frequent appearances on local TV stations as the spokesperson for the company he founded.
In the early '70s Van Boxtel was "The Name to Say for Ford in Green Bay." He was also known as "The Tiny Profit Dealer." A few years later he dropped those slogans and adopted the catchphrase that will forever be associated with the name Van Boxtel ... "And You Can't Do Better Than That, Now Can You!"
Ed was born in Aniwa, Wis., on Sept. 15, 1927, to the late John and Irene (Wegner) Van Boxtel.
Shortly after that his family moved to Clintonville, Wis., where he spent his childhood. At Clintonville High School he lettered in basketball and football, and in the summers he played for the Clintonville A's city baseball team.
With World War II still raging in the Pacific, he tried to quit school his senior year to answer his country's call. When he tried to enlist in the Navy he was turned away and told to come back when he graduated. After graduation he went right back. This time he was accepted. He served 14 months in the Navy and spent time in China and Japan after Japan surrendered.
Taking advantage of the GI Bill after the war, Ed enrolled in watchmaking school in Kansas City and became a licensed jeweler.
While in Kansas City he answered an ad for open tryouts for the Kansas City Blues, a minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees. He made it past the first few rounds of cuts but eventually got his pink slip. This tryout was symbolic of how he would live the rest of his life. Even at a young age he was not afraid to fail.
During his time in tryout camp he made friends with Cliff Mapes who survived the cuts and played for five years from 1948 to 1952 in the Major Leagues with the Yankees, St. Louis Browns, and the Detroit Tigers. Even now Ed proudly displays Cliff Mapes' baseball card in his rec room trophy case.
After watchmaking school, Ed enrolled in the University of Wisconsin and majored in Business with a minor in Psychology. In later years he often commented that the Psychology part of his education was more important to his success than his degree in Business Administration.
He married his high school sweetheart, Lois Shauder, and paid their way by opening a watch repair shop in their apartment at the foot of Bascom Hill on the UW campus. Open every weekday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Ed saw enough potential in the trade to plan on continuing in the business when he graduated.
When Lois got pregnant shortly after Ed graduated in 1951, he decided he couldn't wait to establish a jewelry business ... he had bills to pay now!
He answered an ad for an "Insurance Manager" at Hult's Chevrolet in Madison, Wis. He soon found out the job was not a good fit and gave his notice. The owner, C.J. Thorstad, convinced him to stay at the company as a used car salesman. He soon became Hult's Chevrolet's #1 salesman and a couple years later, was promoted to Used Car Manager. A couple more years later, he was promoted to General Sales Manager in charge of both new and used car sales. Under his management Hult's Chevrolet became the Madison area's #1 automobile dealership. In his last year there, Hult's Chevrolet became the #1 dealer in new and used car sales in the State of Wisconsin.
With the jewelry business now in his rear-view mirror, he decided he wanted to own his own Car Dealership. He applied for several available Chevrolet dealerships but was denied each time. Finally Ford Motor Company called and offered him the Ford dealership in Green Bay. It was a tough decision since he was a Chevy man but he finally accepted. He sold his home and mortgaged his family's future to scrape up the money to buy the Ford franchise in Green Bay. On May 1, 1967, Van Boxtel Ford Inc. was born.
The first two years were rough. The original facility at 118 S. Adams St. was totally inadequate to house a competitive dealership. A few years later, Ed admitted he came within $2,000 of bankruptcy. Then a brand new modern facility was opened at 1010 S. Military Ave. in 1969. From that point on, Van Boxtel never looked back. In 1976, Van Boxtel Ford Inc. became the #1 Ford dealer in the state for new car sales. This was a feat they repeated many times in the next three decades.
Although new car sales were always strong, Ed stressed the importance of used vehicle sales. He firmly believed that if you offered a quality product at a fair price and then stand behind what you sell, your customers will in turn, take care of you.
Apparently Ed was right. For nine straight years from 1996 to 2004 Van Boxtel Ford Jeep was the #1 selling used car dealer in the State of Wisconsin. In 2003, Van Boxtel Ford Jeep was the #5 selling used car dealer IN THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES!
Then in late 2004, at age 77, Ed decided it was time to retire. The Ford and Jeep franchises and the facility on Military Ave were sold to Broadway Automotive. The RV division, however, stayed in the family and is currently owned and operated by Ed's two sons, Tom and Jeff.
Since retirement Ed was a frequent visitor at Van Boxtel RV and Auto where he continued to lend the benefit of his experience and wisdom to his sons and their staff.
Ed didn't just think of himself as a car dealer; he thought of himself as a teacher and mentor. He was extremely proud of the many former employees who left him and became successful business owners themselves or who achieved high management positions at other companies.
Ed married his current wife, the former Susan Struebing, on Dec. 5, 2002.
He loved music and was an accomplished singer and guitar player. The second Saturday night of every other month Sue and he had a standing date with several good friends for "Country Night" at their house. They would all bring their instruments and sing and play their favorite songs. Their impromptu band was very entertaining. He also enjoyed playing Roulette. He spent countless hours in his basement studying the roulette wheel, where the numbers were on the table and perfecting his "system." Whatever that system was, it worked! A frequent visitor to Las Vegas he came home a winner far more consistently than he lost. In the city where aliases are commonplace he was well known to many Casino Pit Bosses simply as "Mr. V."
Survivors include his wife, Sue Van Boxtel; his sons, Thomas A. Van Boxtel and his wife, Cherie, and Jeffrey L. Van Boxtel and his wife, Lori; a stepson, Scott Struebing; a stepdaughter, Michelle (Struebing) Leffler and her husband, Kurt; his grandchildren, Lea (Van Boxtel) Hildebrand and her husband, John, Christine (Van Boxtel) Cverwonka and her husband, Luk, Danielle Van Boxtel, Matthew Van Boxtel, Brittany Harbick, Megan Leffler, Leah (Leffler) Lesh and her husband, Shawn, and Jackson Streubing; one great-granddaughter, Annabelle Hildebrand; one brother, Vernon Van Boxtel (age 93), Seattle Wash. and his wife, Glenna; his in-laws, Lyle and Liz Krizenesky, Diane Branson and Barb and Richard Drnec.
In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Ardis and her husband, Edgar Sengstock; and his first wife, Lois (Schauder) Van Boxtel.
He was an extremely generous individual. A loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, he made substantial monetary contributions to his church and his other favorite charities often under the heading of "anonymous donor." He honestly believed the act was the reward, not the recognition. It wasn't uncommon for him to hand an employee a $100 bill for a job well done or "just because he felt like it." No matter what your position was at his company, he always greeted you by your first name and with a smile. He had an outstanding sense of humor and was a great man to work for. He will be greatly missed by friends, family, and hundreds of other people whose lives he positively affected.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established for the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center and Urban Hope.
Visitation will take place from 4 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 26, at Lyndahl Funeral Home where a parish wake service will be held at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue after 10 a.m. Friday at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church, 2771 Oakwood Drive, Green Bay, where the Mass of Christian Burial will take place at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Paul Demuth officiating. Entombment will be at the Allouez Catholic Mausoleum. Online condolences may be expressed at www.lyndahl.com.
The Van Boxtel family would like to extend a special thanks to Fred Koehne, Ed's loyal friend and right hand man for over 35 years. Ed frequently said that his own success wouldn't have been possible without Fred's hard work and dedication. Marlene Van Boxtel was also a very important person in his life. They would also like to thank the doctors and nursing staff on the 5th floor of St. Vincent Hospital. Your compassion and professionalism during a very difficult time was incredible. Finally, thank you to the staff at the Unity Hospice Jack and Ingrid Meng Residence. It takes very special people to do what you do. "And You Can't Do Better Than That, Now Can You."
Lyndahl Funeral Home
And Cremation Services
1350 Lombardi Avenue
(920) 499-1223
Source http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/
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