I was so very sorry to hear about the passing of John, who I always knew as Paco. As professionals go, he was the real deal: a mechanic’s mechanic, a guy who didn’t go by the book, but by his instincts and intellect. He clearly loved his profession and the independent life he carved out for himself. Paco was fiercely opinionated and fiercely loyal. If he liked you, he’d do anything for you. I’ll always have fond memories of hanging out in his grimy old office, first talking about my Subaru, then digressing into rambling conversations about politics, powder skiing, dogs, mountain biking, just about anything. I’ll miss him on the bike trails and at the windsurfing beach, where he spent many happy days. He left us too soon, but I won’t soon forget his feisty spirit.