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Updated 16 hours ago

When something with a motor and moving parts went on the fritz, Richard Solomon was the man neighbors in Norvelt called.

“If it could be fixed, he would do it,” his son Kevin Solomon said. “That's an art in itself.”

Richard P. Solomon of Norvelt died Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017, after suffering a heart valve ailment. He was 89.

Born May 14, 1927, he was a son of the late John and Veronica Harvan Solomon.

According to his son, Mr. Solomon will be remembered for his knack for repairing everything from Studebakers to snowmobiles and for his generosity in helping others who were less mechanically inclined.

“If someone needed assistance, he was the first one there,” his son said. “If something was broke, the neighbors would bring it over and he would get it running.”

His father's advice to other tinkerers: “Just make sure all the pieces go back together that you tore apart.”

Mr. Solomon served as a mechanic with the Army in Germany during World War II and began his civilian career in the trade by working at Mike Sivak's Studebaker garage in the village of United before starting his own repair garage and Texaco fueling station, Solomon's Service, across the street from Hoffer Funeral Home in Norvelt.

The garage “was like a little community gathering place where you heard everyday stories,” Kevin Solomon recalled. Growing up, he would help his father at the garage, but not when Mr. Solomon was working on the funeral home's hearse.

“It was a big old silver Cadillac. I did not like to go there because I was scared of that,” he said.

In 1965, Mr. Solomon left his business to work as a mechanic for the Municipal Authority of Westmoreland County, where he retired at 62.

Hand-in-hand with his mechanical bent, Mr. Solomon loved owning the latest vehicles on the market and traded his automobile for a newer model every few years. According to his son, one of his favorites was a black Edsel, and his last purchase was a late model Ford.

“He was a very good negotiator,” his son said. “It seemed like he always got a good price.”

Mr. Solomon was a member of St. Florian Catholic Church in United. He also liked to play bingo at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Trauger and was a past member of the Norvelt Volunteer Fire Department.

He was the widower of Mary Kindelan Solomon, his wife of 62 years.

Mr. Solomon is survived by his son Kevin Solomon and his wife, Annette, of Mammoth; his daughter Mary Sue Maghakian and her husband, Marty, of Charleston, S.C.; three grandchildren; and a great-granddaughter.

A funeral Mass will be held 10 a.m. Monday at St. Florian Catholic Church. Interment will follow in St. Florian Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the American Heart Association.

Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6622 or jhimler@tribweb.com.

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