After graduating from El Paso High School in 1947, Gene worked side by side with his father until he joined the service, and in January 1952, Gene was deployed to Korea where he worked as a halftrack mechanic in the U.S. Army.
When his young family returned to El Paso, Gene took over the day-to-day operations of Heller’s Garage (the old Sweeney’s Garage) from his father, Bud. A couple years later, in February of 1956, Gene borrowed $10,000 from a Secor farmer to purchase the Foltz Motor Company and opened his new Ford garage in downtown El Paso (near the theatre).
In the years to come, Gene, his sons, and now grandsons have turned that small garage into one of the largest Ford dealers in the state of Illinois. The Heller Stores now employ nearly 200 people. Well into his eighties, Gene was still here to open the “garage” every morning at 6:30. Gene’s guidance and desire to treat all of his customers as if they were family has enabled his business to thrive for over 60 years.
1929-2019
