Call him Mr. Fix-It
CAVE SPRING–For most people, the words “retirement community” bring to mind rocking chairs and knitting needles. At Brandon Oaks, however, retirement community means beautiful carpets, a Wii gaming system, and an elegant lobby complete with pastries.
Yet go past the glamour. Take the elevator to the basement, to the heart of the building. Keep going past the ritzy décor and swank carpeting, to the tile floors, the laundry machines, and the boiler room. This is where they keep the residents’ woodshop. And this is where Bill Nelson spends much of his time.
Brandon Oaks resident Bill Nelson is the retirement community's resident fix-it man. Photo by Kristin Adams
“This is the working part of the building,” Nelson said proudly.
The 85-year-old fits right in with the other workers, from employees with laundry to deliverymen and the cleaning crew. In a way, he is a worker himself.
Nelson is Brandon Oaks’ resident fix-it man.
It began with just a few quick fixes. A repaired chair leg here, a re-glued earring back there. But in close-knit retirement communities such as Brandon Oaks, news can spread like wildfire. A man willing to fix virtually anything, or at least give it a try, is hard to keep secret.
The residents spread the word about Nelson. He fixes an item for one of them, and he or she will tell a friend who also needs a repair. He often receives calls along the lines of: “I don’t know you very well, but I heard you fix things.”
Of course, at this point, he knows virtually every resident at the retirement community, many of whom are women.
“200 women can break a lot of stuff,” Nelson joked.
And they cannot beat Nelson’s price. He does all of his repairs for free.
“The Lord gives me my time for free. How can I charge anybody else for it?” Nelson said.
With all of the requests that come his way, from broken timers to a recent podium upgrade for a very tall Residence Council president, Nelson usually visits the woodshop several times a week. He is one of only half a dozen residents who come to the woodshop on a regular basis.
“Most of them find it more convenient to refer it to Bill Nelson,” Nelson joked.
Nelson is certainly an expert. The retired chemical engineer has been fixing things since he was a child.
“If you take enough stuff apart and put it back together again, it becomes second nature,” Nelson said about repair work.
The Brandon Oaks woodshop is just the right place for his hobby. Not large or especially fancy, the shop does have the basics: a table saw, belt sander, drills, power saw, and router are just what Nelson needs for his repair jobs.
“Of course, the best tools that anybody’s got are these right here,” Nelson said, holding out his hands.
After a tour of the woodshop, Nelson returns from the depths of the basement to show off the rest of the retirement community. Strolling through the halls, as he greets friends and mentions amenities such as the pool and the beauty shop, he casually points out little items he has improved. In a small store selling the residents’ used items to raise money for Brandon Oaks’ nursing home, he notices a clock for sale. The clock, which is in perfect condition, is one he repaired.
Visiting the small library on the second floor, librarian and Brandon Oaks resident Mary Maier points out the shelves which Nelson improved so that the vases and tall books could be more visible.
While he was there, Maier also asked him to take apart an old, broken timer which was no longer working, just so she could see what was inside. Going the extra mile, Nelson used WD-40 and wound it up to give the timer new life.
“It’s ticking like crazy,” Nelson said an hour later.
And in the small Stellar One branch in the lobby, bank employee Carol Lawhorn presents the cash drawer which was too big for her desk. Nelson helped out by cutting the metal cash drawer down to size, and then attaching it to a piece of wood.
“He is definitely a handy man,” Lawhorn said.
Of course, the list of repairs could be longer, except for Nelson’s dedication to his wife of 61 years, who recently made a permanent move into Brandon Oaks’ nursing home across the street. He visits three times a day, which cuts down significantly on time in the workshop.
“But I think my priorities are correct,” Nelson said.
