Snohomish man loved working on old cars and engines

Published 12:01 am Sunday, January 9, 2011

John Repp was a generous man. He learned that trait as a child in Snohomish.

At Christmas he would wrap one of his toys from a prior Christmas and give it to his brother.

“I still have his electric train set, electronics lab, chemistry set, microscope and toy steam engine,” J

im Repp said.

As an adult, John Repp collected several types of engines, antique automobiles, spark plugs and hardware.

He wouldn’t have cared if the Seattle Seahawks were in the playoffs Saturday. Sports weren’t his thing, said his wife, Kathy. John Repp spent his free time

in his shop working on machines of all sorts.

John Walter Repp died Nov. 12 at age 66. He died after falling off a ladder while trimming a tree. He was born Aug. 13, 1944, to Walt and Alma Repp. He graduated from Snohomish High School in 1962 then served in the U.S. Army including duty in Korea.

Snohomish roots are deep for the Repp family. His paternal grandfather, John Henry Repp, whose family came to the U.S. from Germany, sold a Snohomish farm to Reinhold Bartelheimer.

A story about the sale of the Bartelheimer herd, more than a century later, was featured Dec. 1 in The Herald.

Repp was a longtime member of Moon on A Model A Club and restored many classic cars. He belonged to Branch 26 Early Day Gas Engine & Tractor Association and retired after 25 years as a mechanic with Snohomish County.

“John must have owned most every kind of motor bike and motorcycle that was ever made,” said Jim Repp. “His first was one of those bikes with an engine that one could lower from the handlebars onto the front wheel that he purchased from Ted Wolk, our neighbor.”

While still a teenager, John Repp rebuilt a 1947 Indian motorcycle and a 1936 Plymouth convertible.

“This interest followed him throughout his life in the form of antique and classic cars, tractors, and the hit-and-miss engines of which he rebuilt more than a hundred in recent years,” Jim Repp said. “He rebuilt an old Fordsen diesel tractor that had been abandoned for years when he was probably about 14. It is quite entertaining to watch the old home movie of him starting it up for the first time.”

His brother said he was impressed that John Repp had an eye for valuables.

“I only seem to accumulate junk,” Jim Repp said. “John’s collections included the little wheel hubs from antique cars and glass insulators, etc. He did sell some things, usually at a profit, although he sold his 1947 Indian motorcycle that was in great condition for $75 when I was a senior in high school. I would have bought it, but I only weighed 118 pounds and couldn’t lift it up if it fell over.”

John Repp is survived by his wife, Kathy; son, David; daughter, Connie; stepson, Kris; sister and brother-in-law, Sue and Al Butler; brother and sister-in-law, Jim and Lainie Repp; and grandchildren, David and Rachelle.

John Repp met Dave Lewis on a shopping trip to Spokane when they spied the same engine for sale.

“John purchased three engines needing major repairs and I bought one,” Lewis said. “My engine is still not running. John’s were restored and up and running within a short period of time.”

He said John Repp was a man of few words, but when he talked, he was full of knowledge on many subjects and was more than willing to help or lend a hand.

Kathy Repp said she had a hard time convincing her beau to wear a sports coat when they eloped eight years ago. He wore jeans, not slacks. Kathy Repp said her husband reminded her of her father. Both were the type of men who could build or repair anything around the house.

“Dad is a collector in Eastern Washington,” Kathy Repp said. “They both have a lot of common sense.”

Perry Baxter of Snohomish bought a Model A from John Repp.

Baxter said Repp had a large collection of old single cylinder hit and miss engines that were used for various chores on farms and ranches many years ago. He also had a large antique Rumely Oil Pull tractor from the 1920s.

“John was a very quiet and unassuming fellow,” Baxter said. “He had a real love for anything mechanical.”

The couple loved road trips around the Northwest, watching romantic comedies, and family gatherings. John Repp didn’t cook, loved blackberry pie, gardening and his border collie named Daisy.

On the down side, he wasn’t the spontaneous type, his wife said. He didn’t bring her flowers, he brought her rose bushes they could plant together.

“He was quiet and reliable,” she said.

Kristi O’Harran: 425-339-3451; oharran@heraldnet.com.