Remembering Rebecca Schindler, an original Shecanic and Mom

Aug 3

Hello Girls Auto Clinic and shecanic friends and family. First, I want to start by saying I hope everyone is safe and healthy. So many of us have suffered tragedy in the past 18 months. What a blessing it is to wake up every morning and be able to hug our loved ones. I am grateful for each and every one of you who have supported Girls Auto Clinic and our vision to empower women over the years.

It is with a heavy heart I'm writing this post for Rebecca, a friend and colleague at Girls Auto Clinic. Rebecca Schindler passed away on July 23, 2021 at her home in Flemington NJ. She worked with us for 4 years and was an ORIGINAL shecanic at Girls Auto Clinic. Rebecca was the mother of two wonderful children, Elijah, 14 and Marlee (an honorary shecanic).

Many of you knew and loved Rebecca when she worked here at Girl Auto Clinic. She was short in height but you couldn't miss Rebecca's energy. She loved people and she loved life. Rebecca was a kick ass technician but her true super power was putting a smile on a customer's face or giving a pep talk to a co-worker. She was an invaluable member of our team and brought a level of chill to work we needed in a high stress automotive environment.

A repair shop is not a typical place to find women working and its even rarer to see young kinds running around. But that was a common scene here at Girls Auto Clinic. Rebecca would bring her kids to work not because she had to but because she wanted to show them the powerful environment we were creating at Girls Auto Clinic. Diversity, inclusion, and equality were a part of Rebecca's core values. Not only did she practice what she preached, she passed these values to her children. How cool to have a mom who works on cars?

When Rebecca told me she was leaving us last year to pursue teaching auto technology at a high school, I was sad to be losing a great employee but so proud of her. The first day Rebecca and I met she told me she wanted to teach high school. When Rebecca set her mind to something, she did it! Gotta admire that in a person, especially a single mom.

She wrote me a letter thanking me for everything I have created at Girls Auto Clinic and for giving her a space to be herself and work on cars. I cried. I was going to miss working with my friend. I'm the one grateful for Rebecca. She always gave more than she took. She taught me not to stress the small things and her example gave me the courage to be myself at work.

Rebecca's passing came as a shock to all of us. She was young and ambitious with so much ahead of her. She would have been 45 years old in September. Rebecca's family has set up a Go Fund Me to support her young children today and in the future as they navigate the world without their mother. Rebecca was a single mom and adored her kids, always including them on her adventures. Please consider donating. Our hearts go out to Marlee and Elijah and the Schindler family. We wish them healing, love, and happiness. (link to obituary).

RIP Rebecca. We love you forever.

"Sweet blossom come on, under the willow / We can have high times if you'll abide/ We can discover the wonders of nature / Rolling in the rushes down by the riverside." - Grateful Dead, Sugar Magnolia

Here is my favorite video of Rebecca. In it she talks about being an auto technician in the male dominated industry and balancing her life with being a mom. Marlee and Elijah make appearances and you can tell they are so proud of their mom (2 minute mark). Scroll to see more photos of Rebecca.