Righteous Rides — Cruising down the road

Enterprising woman takes the reins at auto shop after her husband’s death, By Terry-Ann Zander Wantage — It was a steamy Friday morning last week and in a span of one hour Righteous Rides owner and mechanic, yes, mechanic, Melissa Hensley had already rented two cars to customers and sold a car to a young driver on the hunt for a reliable and affordable vehicle. This was all before 11:15 a.m. It’s obvious from her enthusiasm, steady smile and customer service ease that Hensley loves what she does. “I have passion,” she said. Righteous Rides owners Bill and Melissa Hensley were high school sweethearts while they were students at West Morris Central High School. Bill was a senior and she was a freshman. Bill’s dad owned an auto repair shop for 47 years in Newark so Bill grew up around cars. “I would drive an hour to Newark after school to visit,” she said. When they married in 1998 Melissa gave up her job as a veterinary technician and they moved to Sussex County. “We loved Sussex County; we used to take motorcycle rides up here,” she said. Making a go of it Not long after they moved to Branchville they opened the small shop and wasted no time starting their family of four girls. Hensley first rented a small commercial building on County Highway 565 shortly after marrying. In the beginning they were focused on used auto sales and repair. But the building was really too small for a repair shop so Hensley was forced to complete repairs in the building driveway, at their Branchville apartment or at other area garages where Bill had professional connections. “In the beginning my husband had a full-time day job and I sold cars and changed diapers here at the shop,” she said. They always had their eyes on the adjacent property at 252 County Highway 565 and when it became available they jumped at the chance to rent the space. That opportunity came in 2001 so they packed up the business and relocated next door where the business is still in operation today. They also bought a house in Wantage that same year, where Melissa still resides with her daughters now ages 22, 21, 16 and 13. Melissa Hensley maintains an average of 12 to 15 vehicles in her used lot and performs general preventive maintenance and repairs on all makes and models of vehicles. “We do everything from oil changes to brakes, exhaust and tune ups,” she said. “And detailing too.” She regularly attends auto auctions in New York and central New Jersey so she maintains a number used vehicles for sale. “I am more interested in quality versus quantity,” she said. Melissa also enjoys finding cars for her customers on the Internet by accessing dealer-only auction sites. Everything changed Tragically and unexpectedly in August of 2005, at age 37 Bill Hensley died after a severe allergic reaction to a bee sting. Melissa became a young widow with four children ages 7 to 17. How did she keep going after the unexpected passing of her husband and high school sweetheart? “Thank God he wasn’t a brain surgeon,” she chuckled. Melissa credits all the years of working side by side with her husband and her love of service that kept her going. “My brother-in-law came out to help for a year and we hired another mechanic to help out,” she said. “I still do a lot of the work myself, if its simple, but I have a network of mechanics to use if it’s more complicated,” she said. Melissa has learned a valuable lesson since her husband’s passing. “You can’t plan everything and you need to be flexible,” she said. Family life and the future When not working at the shop Melissa might be found riding motorcycles, four-wheeling, horseback riding or spending time with her boyfriend and daughters. “I still love animals and I pet sit occasionally,” she added. Melissa admits she is “painfully direct” and says that you need trust to run a business. A simple sign hangs behind the sales desk in the Righteous Rides showroom containing the definition of trust. Hensley proudly recites that: the assured reliance on another’s integrity. What does the future hold for Hensley? “Well as my husband used to say, I am not ready to retire anytime soon,” she said. So until then, she will be answering the phones, under the hood of a car making a repair or negotiating the sale of a car on any weekday.