Bill Lovett – longtime businessman and founder of Lovett’s Towing and Recovery in DeKalb – is being remembered as a father figure to many.

Lovett died on Oct. 18. He was 73.

Described as a devoted, hardworking force of nature, Bill Lovett laid the foundation for the family-owned business.

In 1980, Lovett’s Towing and Recovering first put down roots in DeKalb along South Fourth Street before settling into its current location along East Lincoln Highway in 1990.

Bill’s eldest daughter, Carrie Lovett-McFalls, said her dad believed in the value of a strong work ethic.

“He built a company starting with nothing, and now we have this amazing towing company,” Carrie Lovett-McFalls said.

Bill is survived by his wife, Beverly Lovett, and their children, Carrie Lovett-McFalls (Robert) of DeKalb, Shannon Lovett (Kimberly) of DeKalb, and Tracie Bushell (Mark) of Texas, according to his obituary.

Shannon Lovett said many looked to his father as a mentor.

“He loved to make everybody feel comfortable,” Shannon Lovett said. “He treated everybody here – our employees, past employees, present employees – like family.”

Shannon Lovett remembers how his father loved to cook all the time.

“He loved cooking soups and making soups for the whole shop,” Shannon Lovett said. “In the summertime, we’d grill out, provide lunch for the shop. Of course, he had plentiful friends. ... He would invite his friends over and eat with us.”

Shannon Lovett described his father as “larger than life.”

“My father’s a big man – a big, big strong man, a fierce protector," Shannon Lovett said. “Some people, you know, they describe him as a giant amongst men. Great guy, good guy, loving guy.”

Carrie Lovett-McFalls said she remembers her father as the “big teddy bear” he was.

She said she has spent a lot of time around him.

“He was a mentor, a goal-oriented person,” she said. “He taught me values. He taught me to be true to myself [and] family values.”

Lovett’s Towing and Recovery will continue under the direction of Beverly Lovett, Carrie Lovett-McFalls, and Shannon Lovett.

Carrying on Bill Lovett’s legacy is a goal of theirs.

“He was a good dad,” Carrie Lovett-McFalls said. “He wanted to make sure that we would succeed in life as much as he did. ... We’re definitely wanting to keep the legacy going because he’s been in business for a very long time.”

Shannon Lovett said he’s proud of what his father accomplished.

“If I look back at my life and look at my [father] at 28 years old, would I have enough nerve or even enough trust in myself to start a business and the drive to get it to where we are?” Shannon Lovett said.

Bill ventured out to work on his own in 1978. At the time, he rented a small shop in nearby Lee and worked two side jobs.

By 1980, he had established his own towing and recovery business in DeKalb.

Shannon Lovett said running the family business means a lot to him.

“I’ve worked incredibly hard along with my father for many years,” Shannon Lovett said. “There is quite a bit of sacrifice that goes on. ... Cars don’t break down on schedules. I say this all the time, but they don’t break down on schedules. They don’t get in accidents on schedules. People don’t get arrested on a schedule.”

Shannon Lovett remembers many a time when he and his father would respond to emergency calls for towing services.

“We have a contract that we’ve had since the 80s for the Illinois Tollway system out here on I-88 where we handle all the truck crashes,” Shannon Lovett said. “When the phone rings for that, that’s all hands on deck.”

Shannon Lovett said his father would likely be proud knowing that his legacy will continue on.

“He’d be proud to see his great-grandchildren working here, continuing what he started,” Shannon Lovett said. “My father was a simple man. You know, [he] had wealth, but you wouldn’t know it. He wasn’t a flaunter or nothing like that.”

Shannon Lovett said his father was very impressionable.

He said everything he knows about the family business, he learned it from his father.

“This business is 24/7 and never shuts off,” Shannon Lovett said. “You have to have a strong work ethic to be on top of this business and be competitive in the market. You have to be willing to sacrifice quite a bit and put in the hours.”

Working with family can be hard, but Carrie Lovett-McFalls said they managed.

“He [was] very goal-oriented, always wanted to make sure the customers were getting what they needed,” Carrie Lovett-McFalls said. “He would even go out of his way sometimes to help somebody ... that didn’t have the funds to pay for things. He would help in ways that he could.”

Carrie Lovett-McFalls said she’s passed lessons she learned from her dad on to her own children. She said he was proud of his company, his employees and his family.

“I try to teach them the same values as my father taught me,” Carrie Lovett-McFalls said.

Not just a businessman, but a family man, Bill made it a point to connect with his growing family, all the way down to great-grandchildren.

On one occasion, for example, he took the family on vacation to Disney World. Carrie said they met Goofy and Mickey.

“We had the time of our lives with the rides, meeting the [Disney characters], and just laughing and being together,” Lovett-McFalls said.

A visitation and funeral service were held last month in Bill Lovett’s memory.

Shannon Lovett said it was a tough day, but the room also was a testament to how many lives his dad touched.

“Regardless of the circumstances, of course, are terrible, but there was a lot of joy in the room, a lot of laughs, and of course, there was sorrow,” he said.

During the funeral procession to the grave site, area first responders escorted the family in Bill’s honor, with the biggest tow truck Lovetts has.

“It was very, very emotional, very overwhelming to see that my dad had this kind of impact on this town,” Carrie Lovett-McFalls said.