Louis Stephen Grubb

Lou Grubb, Phoenix automotive business icon whose "Take Five" radio and TV commercials played on Arizona stations for decades, died Jan. 24, 2012 after suffering a cranial bleed, 26 years after he recovered from an aneurysm that drew so much attention that local TV reporters did daily condition reports. He was a month short of his 90th birthday. Lou was a beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend. He was a man of deep faith and commitment, a lifelong Catholic. Lou, who came to Arizona in 1945 from his parents' home in Long Island, founded Grubb Automotive in 1972, developing the company into a conglomerate of Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota, Nissan, Hyundai, Buick, Mazda, Suzuki and Saturn dealerships. He sold the company to AutoNation in 1997, remaining with the company as a legacy dealer. He was such a popular figure that the Arizona Republican Party tried to recruit him in 1977 as a candidate for governor. He wasn't interested. He preferred to focus his attention on his family, his business, and community involvement with Barrow Neurological Institute and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. The Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf event will celebrate its 39th annual year this April and has netted more than $5 million for the institutions. Lou and Evelyn (Fountaine), his wife of nearly 61 years, have also benefitted many worthwhile organizations through the Arizona Community Foundation. They also have been dedicated members of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church; among their exciting experiences together were meeting the Pope twice--once in Rome and once in Phoenix. But before he retired in 2004, Lou had earned a reputation for his soft-spoken, homey commercials that were anything but hard-sell. "A good business deal has to be fair to all parties, or the process fails," he once said. "In the long run, it is in the best interests of a business to ensure that a transaction is fair to the customer, the manufacturer, the worker and the owner." Jon Talton, then a columnist for "The Arizona Republic, said Lou was renowned for his ads: "If you grew up in 1960s Phoenix, you can't forget the soothing TV sales pitch of the real Lou Grubb. He was among the legends of local car dealer media celebs." In a biography of Lou published in 1998, syndicated columnist Paul Harvey, who was a friend, wrote that Lou came to Arizona and "made the most of his newfound wellness, his innate competitive spirit and his Golden Rule business philosophy to build varied automotive enterprises across the Southwest." Orien Fifer, a "Phoenix Gazette: columnist writing after Lou purchased Rudolph Chevrolet in 1972, agreed: "Lou's success story is in direct refutation of the Leo Durocher theory that nice guys finish last." When Lou came to Phoenix as a young man by train from the east, he had $27 in his pocket and all his possessions in one suitcase. Plagued by chronic respiratory problems, he was headed to Tucson for a healthier climate at his doctor's advice when his train stopped in Phoenix, and he spied a billboard that said, "For your stay in Phoenix, stop at the Westward Ho," a popular downtown hotel. He checked in and convinced them to hire him as a night clerk. Having loved golf since he was a teen, he moved on to take a job as a caddy master at the Phoenix Country Club, a job he loved because of his passion for golf. (Lou's passion lasted a lifetime; he collected golf memorabilia, donating much of it to good causes) In his new job, he attracted the attention of one of the Club members, Read Mullan, who owned a Ford dealership. Mullan hired Lou as a junior salesman in 1949, starting a career in the automotive business that spanned decades. In 1972, Lou's son, Dan, entered the family business and remains the head of AzCal II, LLC, an automotive company with business in Arizona and California. Lou is survived by his wife, Evelyn, and four children, John; Nancy Sage (husband, Dennis); Dan (wife, Kathy); Tracy Christ (husband, Wil) and nine grandchildren--John's children, Alex, Max and John Luke; Nancy's and Dennis' children, Lear Johnson and Hayden Sage; Dan's and Kathy's children, Colton and Kelsey, and Tracy's and Wil's children, Rebecca and John Matthew Christ. A man of true integrity, honesty and honor, Lou will be deeply missed by his family and friends. Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday, with a 7 p.m. Rosary, at Hansen Desert Hills Chapel, 6500 E. Bell Road. A funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Francis Xavier Church, 4715 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf (www.supportbarrow.org), designating either the Barrow Neurological Foundation or St. Joseph's Medical Center as the recipient.

Tributes