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Trucks line street for a brother in towing

By JODIE TILLMAN
Published January 22, 2007

NEW PORT RICHEY - The mourners gathered in the Winn-Dixie parking lot. They wore shirts stitched with their names and emblazoned with their promises.

"We doze," one shirt said, "but never close."

This would be the final ride of Kenneth Harris, 47, the popular owner of Prime Towing and Auto Care, who died of a sudden heart attack last month. And these were his friends and competitors in the 24-hour world of tow truck driving, an industry so demanding that it creates a bond among its members.

"I didn't know him," said Lyle Fuller, a driver with National Auto. "But I consider this a brotherhood."

A white hearse carrying Harris' ashes would lead the procession of tow trucks out of the parking lot and onto State Road 54, past his now-shuttered business - where his family would be watching - and past his home.

Ginger Darling, a slightly built driver in a blue jumpsuit, gathered the other drivers in the parking lot Sunday morning with a list of instructions.

"Everybody stay in the right lane!" she said. "Strobes? Beacons? Kick 'em on. ... When you pull up in front of the shop, kill your lights. You're going to look to the family, nod in acknowledgement, honk twice."

And so the procession headed west, past the shop.

Harris' widow, Terri, stood in front of the empty office. She waved and wept as they passed.

"The towers put their lives on the line every day, and to see them do this for one of their fallen brothers," she said, "is such an honor."

Jodie Tillman can be reached at 727 869-6247 or jtillman@sptimes.com.

[Last modified January 21, 2007, 23:23:07]