Every town needs a mechanic and Island Park is lucky to
have Joe Williams. Joe has a welcoming country style but with a bit of
roughness around the edges. I was a bit surprised when I initially observed him
attired in his church choir robe at last year’s Christmas program. This was a sign
of Joe’s softer side that becomes evident when you spend time with him.
Dropping into Elk Creek last week, I asked Joe if he
would consent to this article. After some initial honest shyness, he opened up about
how he landed in Island Park.
Joe grew up in the resort town of Stroudsburg,
Pennsylvania. His father, George owned a vehicle towing/repair shop and Joe was
enlisted to help at an early age. By fourteen he was answering service calls
for semi-trucks on his own.
The tranquility of the resort community was shattered in
the early 1980’s when it became a popular get-away for New York residents.
Joe’s then brother-in-law, Duane Cruse was a grounds keeper for Island Park
Village Resort at the time and Joe decided to investigate the area. In 1988,
Joe arrived here and negotiated the purchase of the Repair Shop at Elk Creek
from Kevin Oliver. He returned home, packed up his family and moved them to the
Yellowstone country.
While the repair business was going well, his marriage
ended in 1990. In 1991, his social life took an upswing after a fortuitous
encounter with Dorothy Michaelson in Pond’s Lodge. She mentioned that her
daughter had recently divorced and moved from Texas to Island Park. Joe followed
up on the tip by asking Kari out. They fell in love and married in 1995.
Being the area’s full time mechanic, Joe goes from 0 to
60 in 10 seconds when suddenly inundated with vehicle-related emergencies. Like
many members of the community, he takes pride in serving others. Joe has
recently expanded his towing service and is on call 24 hours a day. Joe appreciates the help of both Jeff Flowers
and Scott Defenbach (Kari’s son) with his business.
Kari said that what she enjoys about her relationship
with Joe is the combination of attraction and friendship. When pressed about
something that she would change about Joe, she admitted that his mechanic’s
hands are a little rough.
Perhaps Joe will find a pumice stone in his Christmas
stocking!
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