Herbert the Business Truck

I never expected that the secret legacy of my late Grandpa Herb would one day arrive at my doorstep — in the form of a new-to-me set of wheels. Grandpa, whose real name was Herbert Simmons, was a bit of everything: an inventor, businessman, piano-player, and a devoted fan of classic Looney Tunes cartoons. (I like to think he'd have approved of naming my van after him.)

So when his quietly-held investment - unknown by the rest of the family - finally surfaced recently and was dispersed among those still around, I did what felt right: I bought myself a Ford Transit for the shop.

I christened it “Herbert the Business Truck.” Now Herbert isn’t just a memory locked away in family albums, he’s part of my day-to-day hustle. Whether I’m doing dump runs (which, as I’ve discovered, qualifies as one of life’s great little satisfactions), hauling materials for new custom entry-door builds, or making deliveries across the Maritimes, I can’t help but smile at the thought of Grandpa watching, maybe tapping his piano keys in approval. It feels fitting — a mechanical echo of the piano keys he once pressed in the front room of our red-brick family home, back in Orillia, Ontario.

In a funny, touching way, I feel some of his cleverness and charm have slipped into my work at hatch + parley. Every time I push up the rolling door of Herbert the Business Truck to load up stained fiberglass door or vintage-inspired hardware, I feel like I’m honouring his spirit.

And maybe, just maybe, Grandpa is still listening to a Looney Tunes theme somewhere, grinning at how his old-school inventiveness helps me build the new-school doors I dream up today.

Laura Weil December 2025