10 Kentucky Trucker Nick Schade and his family run Tony’s Wrecker Service. They are also strong KTA supporters. KTA recently interviewed Nick about the company’s history. He also talked about his family, life, and interests. The company website says William H. (Tony) Voelker began working in the towing industry in 1937 and founded Tony’s Wrecker Service in 1956. Please tell us more, including where you fit into this fifth-generation family business. Mr. Voelker was my great-grandfather. Everyone called him Tony. He started operating a wrecker in 1937 for the first towing company in Louisville, Kentucky, called LeRoy Miles, then worked for Floyd & Son. In the 40s and 50s, my father Jerry began riding with his grandfather Tony. My father also spent a lot of time around the wreckers. In 1956, Tony started his own company, Tony’s Wrecker Service, in St. Matthews, Kentucky. St. Matthews is a suburb of Louisville. When Tony passed away in 1959, Jerry was a student at the University of Louisville J.B. Speed School for mechanical engineering. He left school to take over running the family business, which is Louisville’s oldest wrecker service. Dad married my mom, Martha, in 1962. My brother Lee was born in 1964, and I came along in 1978. My brother and I are the fourth generation. My niece, my son and my stepdaughter are the fifth generation. The website also has photos of many vehicles or other items being towed or moved. They include photos of a fire engine, school bus and cannon. Are these sorts of projects typical for towing companies, or is this a specialty? We perform towing and recovery on all types of vehicles. We also perform truck and trailer repairs both in shop and as road service. The cannon was a special restoration project that we transported. KTA’S NICK SCHADE A Family Commitment to Tony’s Wrecker Service
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