A Paul Harvey Kind of Moment

If someone were to ask me today why I love living on Marco Island, my response would have changed some from 1986 when I convinced two other couples to make an investment here when I first discovered the island simply by accident.

My boss at the time at one of the FMC Divisions I had worked for convinced me to ride with him and visit his parents in East Naples and stay over the weekend rather than fly back to New Hampshire and return the next week for meetings. His parents lived in a small manufactured home park and his wife had some events she needed to attend with their three daughters.

I just happened to be with customers and dealers that week at the plant for a couple of inspections of their new pieces of fire apparatus before the delivery drivers would head north with them into the Rochester, New York, and Boston areas. I put them on their flights late Friday and Saturday morning, and A.J. and I left early for the trip to Southwest Florida.

A.J.’s dad and mom were excited to see us and proudly showed us around the Hitching Post Park on the East Trail. He was even more excited to pile us in the car and take us all to his special “watering hole” for the best hamburger and the coldest beer on draft in the area.

It certainly was one of the most interesting rides I would ever have, as it introduced me to this wonderful island paradise which I call home today.

We traveled down a seven-mile stretch of one of the most desolate two-lane roadways I can remember. That roadway was cut through a thick mangrove swamp and provided a spectacular panoramic view of what some have written about as “The Last Paradise” as we crested the top of the two-lane JJ Jolley Bridge. Until this day, I will never forget the impact of the first time I saw Marco Island, as I’m sure many of you won’t.

Mr. Heller took his wife, A.J. and I to lunch at a place I would grow equally fond of until the day I close my eyes for the final time. The Snook Inn more than lived up to his glowing reviews. In 1986 it was one of the most quaint and charming places you could ask for. A true representation of the old-time Florida fishing meccas, providing quaint motel-style rooms along what now is a long row of parking spots and a fence that provided a boundary across their property line. A room to rest after a long day of great fishing, a dock for your boat, a great meal, some “liquid” refreshments and a stool to spin a yarn or two about the big one that got away!

After a lunch which featured a great hamburger that was accompanied by one or two very cold mugs of a golden delight, A.J.’s dad gave us a tour around the island and a walk down to the beach, which to this day I consider spectacular.

I couldn’t get that visit to this island out of my mind over the next several days upon my return to New Hampshire. As it happened, my dealer near Boston had an issue and needed some assistance the day after my return. It would take about 90 minutes to drive to his shops in Quincy and upon arrival I walked straight to his G.M’s office, who immediately took me out onto the shop floor where we reviewed the issue. After about two hours, we agreed on a solution, and I signed off on his suggestions.

We strolled over to the owner’s office and announced we had the necessary fix agreed upon to everyone’s satisfaction. Needless to say, I was on the hook now for lunch so we adjourned our discussions to our favorite spot, and I told them both about my recent side trip in Southwest Florida and my new affection for this island, which resulted in both of them bursting out in laughter.

Tom’s General Manager, Larry, let me know he and his wife had just purchased a small place on Marco themselves. Seems they had spent some time with his fellow Marine WWII Veteran, Don Ross, who sold him a place on Collier Boulevard. Needless to say, I was intrigued and within a month, I came back to the island and purchased my first place here. In 1990, I moved here full-time.

Some of you may have known Don Ross, who was a top producer in the Massachusetts area for Deltona for many years and was later relocated to Marco, where he continued his successful real estate career in the place we so appreciate today.

Well, many of you had asked me how I ended up here when we’ve met, and as Paul Harvey used to say, “And now you know the rest of the story.”