After Linda Sosebee’s husband and business partner, Danny, died of cancer on Nov. 13, 2022, their shop’s longtime employees and customers kept her going.
Danny Sosebee’s passing at age 63 was one of several devastating personal losses due to cancer. Linda’s daughter, Julie Hitchcock, had passed away in 2010, and Julie’s husband, Ryan Hitchcock, died just 10 days after Danny. Ryan had been a service writer for the family business, Lindan Auto Mechanical & Body Shop, for 19 years.
“It was hard to think about doing this without them, but so many times I heard people in the shop say, ‘We’re really glad you’re still here,’” Sosebee recalls. “That meant so much. So many amazing people stuck by us in that tough first year.”
Rebounding After Tragic Losses
Today, Sosebee is the sole owner of the shop in Merriam, Kansas, which she and her husband opened together in 2001. Danny was the mechanical one, while Linda drew on her accounting background to manage the books.
Since Danny’s death, Linda Sosebee has grown into a new leadership role at Lindan Auto alongside her adult daughter, Ashley Chasm, who has worked full-time at the family business for the past decade.
With 14 team members, a 21,640-square-foot building, 20 bays and 17 lifts on a 1.1-acre site, Lindan Auto accepts all makes and models of individual and company vehicles. The shop services an average of 6,700 cars a year–roughly 560 a month–with a focus on building close, trusting relationships with customers.
That is Danny’s lasting legacy, according to Chasm. “Dad was never interested in having a second location, because he couldn’t be present at both,” she explains. “He wanted to stay small and see everyone face-to-face. He was never too busy to talk to somebody. He knew his customer’s names, and he knew about their families and lives.”
In fact, Lindan Auto has never advertised in its 23-year history, adds Larry Byrd, a service writer there for 17 years. “Danny didn’t believe in spending money on ads,” Byrd notes. “It’s all been word-of-mouth recommendations. It’s turned into a big family.”
Danny’s Dream
When Danny and Linda Sosebee married in February of 1988, Danny shared his dream of owning his own automotive repair shop. He had grown up in a large family without a lot of money, so he learned to be self-reliant, handy and enterprising at a young age.
Danny’s loved ones also describe him as someone who never met a stranger and thrived on helping people. So, at age 42, Danny took a leap and launched Lindan Auto after managing several other shops, at first operating out of leased space in a multi-tenant building.
Sosebee decided the name “Danny’s” was on too many other shop signs, so he combined his name with Linda’s to form the more unique “Lindan’s.” Quickly, he earned customers’ loyalty by making himself available whenever they needed him.
While Danny had a desk in Linda’s office, he was rarely there during workdays. During evenings and weekends, his wife remembers multiple meals interrupted by calls about a vehicle that wouldn’t start or was making funny noises.
“Danny would try to walk customers through solutions on the phone, or he’d go over and check it out,” Linda Sosebee relates. “Right away, they’d know if it was a simple fix, or they needed to come into the shop.”
By 2006, Lindan Auto had enough revenue to purchase their building and gradually took over the entire space as other leases ran out. With just three or four employees in the early years, Danny Sosebee did much of the work on cars himself. Even as his shop grew, he still frequently handled repairs and consulted with other technicians on complex jobs.
“He could fix pretty much anything,” Chasm says. “He could do plumbing, electrical, home repairs, cars–he just loved a good puzzle.”
Chasm grew up working on cars with her dad, especially his prized 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle. A big fan of classic vehicles, Danny Sosebee had owned the car since he was a 17-year-old high school student.
“That Chevelle still runs today,” Chasm notes. “It’s how we bonded.”
While Chasm majored in anthropology at the University of Kansas, she worked part-time at Lindan Auto through college and joined the team full-time after graduation. She now handles a variety of daily operations, including answering phone calls and emails, checking on security equipment, and overseeing timecards and receivables and payables.
As for Linda Sosebee, she is still not mechanical but has been more proactive about communicating with technicians. She aims to help solve problems such as missing parts and listen to ideas for shop upgrades and training opportunities.
“I am surrounded by good people,” says Sosebee, who also is busy as legal guardian for her 15-year-old grandson, Julie and Ryan Hitchcock’s child. “That’s the only way I can be a good boss. I miss Danny every day, but I think he would be proud of us.”
Along with Sosebee and Chasm, Lindan Auto has eight technicians, three service writers and a porter who moves cars, gives customers rides and cleans the property. Half of the team has been with the company for more than 10 years.
Byrd, a lifelong mechanic and Air Force veteran, is one of them. He joined Lindan Auto when he discovered that he and Danny Sosebee had the same philosophy about not saddling customers with extra repair bills.
“You fix what they come in here for, and that’s it,” Byrd says. “If there are other issues that need addressing, you can let them know, but those can wait unless it’s a safety matter. You don’t pile on jobs to get more out of their wallets.”
After Danny Sosebee and Ryan Hitchcock died, Byrd worked almost non-stop until the company had regained its equilibrium, Linda Sosebee reports: “Not everybody could have pulled that off. I could never thank Larry enough.”
Linda’s Legacy
Lindan Auto has retained its emphasis on education and certification classes for technicians, given rapid technological changes in the industry. The company reimburses fees for completed programs, and more experienced technicians serve as mentors to newer employees.
Linda Sosebee also is happy to have a female technician on staff. “It’s a male-dominated field, but a woman is more than capable being just as productive and knowledgeable as a man,” she says. “Our guys have been very welcoming.”
Along the same lines, Lindan Auto’s employees make it a point to speak to male and female customers with equal respect, Chasm adds: “We don’t want to talk down to anyone. If we can show people exactly what we’re talking about on a car, we will.”
Sosebee aims to keep an open door for feedback and to organize regular gestures of appreciation such as staff cookouts and Popsicle giveaways on hot days. And every September, Lindan Auto hosts a Customer Appreciation Car Show with free food and drinks, where customers can display any car at the lot or drop by without a vehicle simply to relax.
“It’s always fun to catch up, and to let people show off their babies,” Linda Sosebee says.
Speaking of babies, the family is determined to complete Danny Sosebee’s pet side project, building a convertible from the frame up. Before Danny got sick, he had been tackling the challenging job in his limited spare time for more than 10 years.
“We WILL get that car up and running,” Chasm says. “No chance we quit.”
