Remembering Robert “Bobby V” Villacari

On May 14, the New Jersey automotive community said goodbye to one of its most beloved members with the passing of Robert “Bobby V” Villacari. The father of former AASP/NJ President Glenn Villacari (Parkway Auto Body; Nutley), he passed away at home in Woodland Park at the age of 85.

After a short stint in the gas station business, Bobby V opened Parkway Auto Body’s original location in Lyndhurst in 1957 – the same year he married his wife, Mary Ann. He later moved to a new location in town and helmed that business until his retirement in 1996. Glenn, who started working full time at the business in 1979, took over the shop from his father and eventually moved it to Nutley in 2004. Looking back at his formative years at the shop, Glenn credits his father for instilling the importance of professionalism in his staff. This extended to making sure Parkway Auto Body always had great curb appeal to potential customers.

“The two things I learned most from him were cleanliness and customer service. People would drive by the old shop, always see a lot of cars outside, take notice of how clean everything was and say to us, ‘Anybody who keeps a body shop as clean as you do and has that many cars has to care and do a good job.’ If we weren’t working on something, we had a broom in our hands. That’s the way it was; he always emphasized that.”

Away from the industry, Bobby V was a former president of the Nutley Kiwanis Club and enjoyed golfing, playing cards, bocce ball and spending his winters in Fort Pierce, FL. He is survived by his beloved wife, Mary Ann; his son Glenn and his wife, Donna; his daughter, Lisa; and his grandchildren Anthony Villacari and Adriana LaRocca and her husband, Dan. He was predeceased by his son Robert and his sister, Jean Gaudenzi.

AASP/NJ and New Jersey Automotive offer Bobby V’s family and friends our deepest condolences.

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