Humbled... Won the Snap-On lottery!

[ed_v]

My father in law was a tech for PACE (the Chicago suburban public bus transit) and was forced into retirement due to health issues. He called my wife and asked if I would like his tools and toolbox. I of course said no, and said they should go to one of his two sons, his two grandsons, or his other son-in-law. She said that he really wanted me to have them because he knew that I would use them and appreciate them. It still didn't feel right but I gave in, not knowing what I was getting.

He had to get the box out of the shop asap. My wife and I went to Chicago for the weekend to see family and for her to visit her doctor. While we were there, my brother-in-law took his flatbed tow truck to pick it up. The shop is open 24hrs a day/7 days a week. The only time we were allowed to go in is on a sunday morning when it was slow there. It was an amazing shop!

We arrived there to meet my father in law. He handed me the key and walked me over to the box. It is a 54" Snap-On 75th anniversary box filled with about 80% Snap-On tools. There are a few Mac, Matco, and Craftsman as well. I was floored. It was a very emotional feeling to me that someone would do this for me.

There are 1/4", 3/8", 1/2", 3/4" sockets that are all Snap-On (except for the 1/4") as well as the impacts. There are also wrench sets, prybars, ring pliers, gear pullers, bushing sets, tap and die sets.... you name it.... all Snap-On. There are also some MAC air tools. It will all blend well with what I have now to make a nice collection.

I own a lot of tools already. Some are Snap-On. These tools are all very much oriented for working on heavy equipment. This really helps complete the set. The box is now sitting in my sister's and brother-in-laws garage. I will go to Chicago and bring it home with a rental truck at Christmas. My father-in-law thanked me for all i've done for his daughter and how I deserve it. I told him how much I appreciated it and that I will never sell anything from it and if he ever wants it back to just let me know. The whole thing just was overwhelming.

I guess Christmas came early.... but I still don't feel right about it. I will find a way to do something nice for him for sure. There's no way I could ever get all that at once on my own. That's a collection that takes years to assemble. Here's a few pics:

Ed

 

[warmpancakes]

really wanna make the guy happy, clean and polish the box and all the tools make them sparkle and let him see them

 

[Scuderia-F1]

You **** big time, and YES I'm VERY jealous.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[shocksandstrutz]

Nice Christmas present, GREAT father-in-law, you must have done right by hime or else he would have kept it. Congrats and have fun, just make sure sometime when hes around you invite him into your garage and show him you have been using them. Thats where they get their joy.

 

[ImportTuner]

Wow, you sure must have impressed your FIL ..

 

[countryroad82]

Sweet!! He definitely deserves a great Christmas present, and then some!! Good things come to those who deserve it and looks like your father in law feels you deserve it.

 

[Subyroo651]

Your Father in Law may in fact be the same man that has been filling these with gold coins over the years. But if he is that great of a man, he must see equal greatness in you, both through your acts and caring for his daughter, So be humble but realize you earned it in his eyes.

 

[lbgradwell]

Wow! That is just staggering!

Best. FIL. Ever.

He must have had his reasons for choosing you...

 

[930dreamer]

Your FIL thought enough of you to bestow this great treasure to, good job and take care of them.

 

[justanengineer]

I think when folks get older, the most important thing you can give them is your time. I suspect youre already going to, but I would make a point of getting up there and/or inviting him to your place for holidays, visits, and anytime he needs anything done.

 

[ozyborn]

I hate you..... not out of malice, just pure jealousy.

 

[dandan111]

I think that's great. I hope the family isn't mad. He must have decided you are ok!

 

[DoubleA]

Love hearing stories like this. Give the tools/box a good home and make use of them, it will be the best thank you.

 

[luvit]

hey, because of the sentimental value for you and your wife, you may want to re-evaluate the security of your garage.
You have a great FIL!

.

 

[jeb42]

I second what Warmpancakes said, Clean them up and let him see you appreciate them. In a similar situation I was given my wifes great uncles toolbox by his son who was eighty. His dad retired in the seventies and it was full of Snap-On, Blackhawk and Proto tools. He saw how I had cleaned them up and displayed the oldest ones and was happy his dad's tools went to a good home.

 

[camjeep3]

Awesome story. I agree. Clean them up and put them to use.

 

[ed_v]

Thanks for all the kind words guys. It is truely appreciated.

Ed

 

[ed_v]

hey, because of the sentimental value for you and your wife, you may want to re-evaluate the security of your garage.
You have a great FIL!

.

No worries there. We live in the country on a farm. Our house sits about a 1/4mile from the road. Two dogs and a 12ga or 30/06 takes care of the rest

Ed

 

[woody 73]

My Father-in-law comes for a visit every few years because his home is across the ocean in another country. Sometimes he just rolls his eyes at me and I wonder what he is thinking but on his last trip just this past October, he and my Mother-in-law were very afraid to change planes in America so they took a one way flight to the Detroit metro airport. Now if you know anything just to get there from Columbus to the Detroit airport and back it is at least a 440 mile round trip.

Well my wife wanted to make the first trip and I made the trip to drop them off; on the way back my Father-in-law looked at me and said "woody you are not so bad after all and you make are daughter very happy". That made my day!

To the op you got a great Father-in-law

 

[03protege]

That act speaks volumes of what he thinks about you, you must do a great job taking care of his little girl.

Also SWEEET SCORE! I agree with pancakes clean every spec of dirt off the box and tools and show it to him.

 

[oilfieldtrash4]

Sounds like you won the fil/family lottery. The snap on tools are a secondary prize.

 

[5mall5nail5]

That is awesome man - what a guy!

 

[yjWrangler]

Damn, lucky guy

 

[mrtoolfool]

Wow, congratulations.

That story almost brought a tear to my eye. The way he took you there and handed you the key. The fact that he thinks so highly of you is really something to be proud of.

I have always said that it is so much nicer to receive something like this from someone while they are alive to be able to show your gratitude to them rather than inherit it after their death.

I am sure he knows every time you walk past that box you will be thinking of him.

That is so neat.

 

[honcho]

Very nice story. Continue to treat his daughter right or he may come to use an impact wrench in ways Snap-On never intended!

 

[-Brent-]

I'm sorry to hear about your FIL's health. It was extremely gracious of him to do what he did. Repay him by continuing to be the man you are.

 

[zakmartin]

Word of advice: When someone wants to do something nice for you (i.e., buy you dinner, give you a $30,000 tool set, etc.,) just be gracious and accept it. Don't keep saying no, I don't want it, you shouldn't have, you can have it back... Just accept the kindness and someday, when you're able, pass it on. He didn't give you the tools because someone put a gun to his head. He gave them to you because he loves you and wants you to have them. The kindest thing you can do is be sincere and thankful, use them and take care of them.

 

[ludakris04]

I need better in-laws.

 

[thebeekeeper1]

I'm sorry about the circumstances, but that is a wonderful gift. He either feels you are a very worthy SIL, or his daughter caused him GREAT difficulties and you took her off of his hands. Either way, congratulations, and treasure that, as it is a one-in-a-million gift.

 

[robe5000]

clearly the man thinks your a top notch guy, I plan on being buried in my box with all my tools
put the tools to work, thats what he gave them to you for

 

[Chadwilliam1]

congratulations. That is very nice of him.

 

[rusty65]

Congrats on the tools I am sure he will enjoy you using them to support your family as he supported his family with the tools and I would also show him how much you appreciate the tools by making him something he can use.

 

[Omphaloskeptic]

Congratulations!

Take the time to write your FIL a heartfelt letter (not a thank-you note) and try to express your gratitude and what his generous action (not the gift itself) means to you. He'll read and re-read that letter over and over again; I guarantee that! With his health failing, that letter will be 'good medicine' for sure.

 

[Sureshot]

That is a stunning gift. I have never said it yet so you get my virgin YOU ****. It brings tears to my eyes to look at a gift like that. Maybe I am more attached to my tool box than I realized because I can't imagine giving it to anyone. He must truly like you. He is definitely letting you know where you stand in his "manworld" to give it to you over his own biological kids. Congrats you must be one heck of a good guy.

 

[bry@n]

Good for you. It is saddening to hear about his health but heart warming to know that he gave them to somebody who he felt deserved them.

My late father in law had many tools and was a great man. He died before 2 months before I asked her to marry me. Would have done some projects with him.

 

[Vegaman_Dan]

Take pictures of the box in its new home, and more importantly, take some pics of them being put to use on your projects. That will go a long ways towards the FIL knowing tools are being treated as they were meant to be and not sitting as collection never to be touched.

Tools not used are tools wasted.

 

[Big-Foot]

Ed,

Your father in law has paid you one of the highest compliments a man can give... I agree with the clean up, pictures and of course their use. I would also encourage you to somehow include him, even if just over the phone or email in some of your projects...

Mail him a gold Man-Card in my opinion....

 

[Todd.Brock]

That's a great story! That's also one hell of a tool box and collection to boot! I would take good pictures of all that your FIL gave you so you know what came from his collection, etc. That way as they get integrated into your tools, you can always know where they came from. I am still wondering where a Dunlap pipe wrench came from!!

I have a similar story of a motorcycle my wife's grandfather bought in1969 but never got running. I took it out of the barn and got it running in 2009. My FIL wrote a letter telling me how proud he was to see it running after sitting for forty years. That letter means more to me than anything else.

 

[mdkingsley]

What a great gift, he obviously thinks you are the person to appreciate and use them. I agree with clean and wax the box and put them to use and send him a letter with some pics of you using them. He will know his tools went to the right guy.

 

[Greatbear]

Use the tools well, make the man proud.