A dark blue, 1953 Buick Roadmaster is still hanging on a lift in Tom Stewart's garage.

Its poignant presence is a testament to his life's work: Up until his very last day on this Earth, Tom Stewart was still fixing up antique cars and planes. There was no project too difficult for a man with an encyclopedic knowledge of the inner workings of the horseless carriage and a three-story garage full of the miscellaneous parts needed to bring it back to life, his brother Jack Stewart said.

Tom took them all, restoring thousands of classic cars from all corners of the country over his 65-year career.

"The wealth of knowledge that was lost when he passed is going to be irreplaceable," Stewart said. "Anybody will tell you that."

Tom Stewart died at age 80 when the single-engine plane he was fl

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