August 2018
Jay is an Albuquerque native whose parents came from Ohio because they liked the area. He’s the 2nd of 4 children and attended New Mexico schools through a degree at UNM before traveling to the University of Wisconsin to attend law school. He practiced commercial litigation (business disputes) for 40 years at the local firm of Sutin, Thayer and Browne. Jay has been married to wife Helen for 29 years. He also has one daughter Abigail who provided him with twin grandchildren, now age 7. He visits them in California frequently and will be camping with them this summer near Magdalena.
Jay became hooked on cars at age 15 when a Boy Scout friend acquired a ’34 Chevy Coupe and took him for a spin. We weren’t old enough to drive but we cruised around the block for fun. He had several other friends who were car people and a neighbor helped him purchase his first “old” car, a ’36 Chevy 2 door sedan. His first Ford was a ’36 Cabriolet, purchased in pieces, that he restored and still owns today. He has an extensive collection but says he bought his last “old car” a couple of months ago. Yea, we all believe that ha ha. It is a 1931 Chevy Woody station wagon that he is now working to restore. He still has 6 or 7 unrestored vehicles to finish. Jay goes to his shop and works 5 days a week on his cars. He says some of his best friends are from old car clubs and he often helps others with parts and knowledge. It makes him feel good to be able to help. We are lucky to have his knowledge and willingness to share that knowledge in our club.
JAY HERTZ
NOVEMBER 5, 1947- JULY 2, 2020
Jay Hertz was a long-time member of the Tumbleweed RG and was currently serving as Vice President. Jay was very active in the group. Jay’s favorite cars were open Fords and Chevrolets from the early to mid-1930’s. He meticulously restored many 1933 to 1936 Fords and some older Chevrolets. He had a love of history and collected a lot of 20th Century Americana, especially from the 1930’s. Jay led us on many tours, including two National Driving Tours.
Jay generously shared his knowledge, tools, and facilities with our club. He served in one club office or another for the last 30 years and was a regular presenter at our club meetings.
Jay was often considered the sane one in our regional group, providing thoughtful comments during all open discussions. Jay’s meticulous restorations didn’t prevent his cars from developing a reputation for fuel starvation issues (vapor lock or out of gas). Even on some local area tours, Jay occasionally forgot to put gas in his car. All of our good-natured comments about his fuel issues were met with a smile. Jay’s wife, Helen, occasionally joined us to remind Jay to put gas in the car. Overlooking his cars’ propensity to have fuel issues, Jay was always willing to sit with his car friends and provide detailed advice for their questions. Jay never failed to amaze us with the breadth of his collections at club meetings. From women’s compacts to Ford salesman watches to old maps of the United States, Jay talked knowledgeably about his passions.
He had a combination museum/restoration garage where he spent many hours and was always glad to have groups tour his collections of cars, parts, watches, vintage pinup calendars, books, toys, model railroads, etc.
Tragically Jay’s life was cut short by a bicycle accident, and he will be truly missed by the Tumbleweed group. Jay was a cornerstone of our group and an irreplaceable asset. He leaves a big pair of shoes to fill.
Joyce Clements, Jeff Jackson, Joe Abbin
