Longtime Ariz. auto dealer Lou Grubb dies by Ken Alltucker on Jan. 25, 2012, under Arizona Republic News
Longtime auto dealer Lou Grubb, whose soft-spoken television and radio pitches made him a household name in 1970s and 1980s Phoenix, died Tuesday after suffering cranial bleeding. He was 89.
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The New York native founded Grubb Automotive in 1972 and grew the company into one of the largest automotive dealerships in metro Phoenix, featuring automobile brands such as Buick, Chevrolet, Ford, Nissan, Toyota and others.
In 1997, he sold his chain to the conglomerate AutoNation during a nationwide dealership-buying spree.
Dan Grubb said he has spent much of the past two days fielding calls and messages from his father’s many friends.
“It’s gratifying to hear from so many folks,” said Dan, who remains active in the auto business. “He quietly touched so many people both in his business and privately with a lot of friendships. He was kind and a gentleman, very giving and very loving.”
Lou Grubb, who suffered chronic respiratory problems as a young man, took a train from Long Island to Arizona in 1945.
He had one suitcase and $27 with ambitions for a new life in Tucson, but his plans changed when he checked into the iconic downtown Phoenix hotel, the Westward Ho, where he talked his way into a job as a night clerk.
Grubb later took a job as a caddy at the Phoenix Country Club, where he met Ford dealership owner Read Mullan, who hired the affable Grubb as a salesman.
Grubb’s “Take Five” radio and television commercials featured his soft, straightforward pitches for his dealerships.
Jack Miller, a Sun City resident who produced radio commercials for Grubb, said his sincere approach resonated with listeners and viewers.
“He set the mood for most of the dealers in Arizona,” Miller said.
“He was the only dealer who got away from hyping cars and, instead, talked sensibly about cars.”
Grubb often sought to weave a radio station’s playlist into his radio commercials, Miller said. The songs would dovetail into Grubb’s commercials, and he had a strong sense of the marriage of music and message.
“The mood of the spot was often reflected in the song we chose,” Miller said.
Grubb was also a prominent philanthropist. He raised more than $5 million for Barrow Neurological Institute and St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix through efforts such as the annual Lou Grubb Friends Fore Golf event, according to Sister Madonna Marie Bolton of St. Joseph’s Foundation.
Bolton said Grubb contributed his time and wealth to Barrow, where he was treated after suffering an aneurysm in 1986 after playing nine holes of golf. The money from Grubb’s fundraising and personal donations has been used to further Barrow’s research and clinical efforts, Bolton said. “He was a humble, gentle man. A man of faith,” Bolton said.
Grubb is survived by his wife, Evelyn, and his four children: Dan, John, Nancy Sage and Tracy Christ, and nine grandchildren.
Visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. Monday at Desert Hills Hansen Mortuary at 6500 E. Bell Road. A funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Francis Xavier Church, 4715 N. Central Ave.
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