By By SCOTT NOVAK / Dowagiac Daily News
Some things are just meant to be.
Carol Primley wasn't exactly looking to sell the business she and her late husband Harold had run for 12 years.
But when an opportunity presented itself in the form of Ron and Cindy Lavell, she decided it was time to move on with her life.
"It was just something that happened," she said. "It was an opportunity that just came up."
The Lavells weren't happy with their jobs and were looking for a way to get back to Dowagiac.
Both had worked at Pat Abiney until it was sold and became Heartland.
Ron worked there for two weeks after the sale, while Cindy stayed a month.
Ron had worked at Abiney's for 27 years, including 22 as the service manager. He was born and raised in Dowagiac and is a 1975 graduate of Union High School.
Cindy, the daughter of Pat Abiney, is a graduate of Cassopolis High School.
She worked as the office manager.
Now that she is out of the business, she enjoys being a full-time mom.
Primley said she would have more time to spend with her two daughters at home (Kelsey and Emily) and will be able to attend more of son Chris' basketball games. Chris is a freshman at Albion College.
The Lavells plan to run the business the same way Carol and Harold had.
"We're here to finish the legacy that Carol and Harold started," Cindy said.
"I think it's pretty ironic that Harold started it. Harold and I were a team out here and it has ended up with a local team," Primley added.
The fact that everyone involved with the sale is from Cass County and has a link to each other made the deal go much smoother.
"Everybody is from the community," Cindy said. "Carol grew up and graduated from here. I went to school in Cass. My father went to school here and graduated here. Harold's father had a repair shop and he was from Dowagiac. It just worked."
"It all ties together," Primley said.
The Lavells, in carrying on the legacy of Dowagiac Auto Service want to let everyone know that they are going to run the business with the same principle Harold did.
"Be fair to the people," Ron said.
Ron and Cindy added, "We plan to be around a while."