Utley’s Iola Auto Body recently celebrated 50 years of business in January. However, the auto shop’s story truly begins 62 years ago, when two LaHarpe High School kids met on a hayrack ride and fell in love.
The pair will celebrate their 60th anniversary in July. The high school sweethearts — Larry and Sharon Utley — would go on to create a successful long- standing business in the Iola community.
Larry, originally from Pipestone, Minn., moved to LaHarpe in 1960 when he was a freshman in high school. Sharon was born and raised in LaHarpe. Larry first started working in auto repair while he was still in high school, starting at Lang Motor Company.
“I worked for several years for other people doing body work and I just kind of wanted a body shop of my own,” said Larry. And that’s exactly what he did. He started by renting part of the building at 324 N. State St., sharing it with two other businesses. “I was in the middle of the building,” he said. “Eventually, I bought the whole building.”
Utley’s Iola Auto Body opened on Jan. 1, 1974. Larry and Sharon made changes and additions to the business over the years. The front office of the building was added in 2004. “We started off with two bays and now we have this,” said Curtis Utley, the couple’s son.
CURTIS HAS been in the shop alongside his dad since he was 5 years old. Some of his favorite memories were doing “rebuilds” over the years with his dad. Rebuilds are typically wrecked or damaged vehicles that need rebuilt. Their first car was a 1957 Chevrolet.
“It was sitting in a hog lot and we had to chase the hogs off,” said Curtis. “We pulled it in and then Dad and I fixed it all up with the help of some of the workers in here. It was my first car in high school.”
Curtis grew up in the business and began professionally in 1989.
“I’ve worked in the business for 35 years,” he said proudly.
Curtis attended Pittsburg State University, studying in its auto body repair program.
“During college, the body shop instructor knew my dad and knew we had a business,” said Curtis. “So, he pulled me to the side and told me he’d let me do the rebuilds and let me stay out of the classroom work. All I had to do was work on the rebuilds.”
When asking the Utley’s — whether Larry, Sharon or Curtis — what their favorite part of the business has been over the years, the answer is always the same. The customers.
“We’ve had some really good, steady customers,” said Sharon.
Larry laughed and noted that he knew he was getting older when he started working on cars that belonged to children of his customers.
“I went through a whole generation of customers in this town,” added Larry.
