Neal Lance Gildner of Bismarck began his long career in car sales with a sponge and a bucket of soapy water.
He scrubbed cars in the "wash bay" of a Texas dealership. The manager noticed Gildner had a strong drive and wanted more, and Gildner eventually became general manager of the dealership.
"Everything he did was top-notch," Gildner's wife, Cheryl Gildner, said. "He never did anything halfway."
Gildner, 60, died Sunday at CHI St. Vincent Medical Center in Hot Springs after suffering a heart attack.
He was the owner of Gildner Autogroup in Arkadelphia and known for his donations to various charities and schools.
Gildner and his dealership sponsored an outdoor movie night Saturday as a fundraiser for the Arkadelphia Aquatic Park. Gildner did not attend the event, but his wife handed out candy to the children there.
"He was so well-involved in the community," Arkadelphia Mayor James Calhoun said. "He was a big man. He was tall and stocky, and he had a big heart. You really looked up to him.
"He was always asking me, "How are you doing?'" Calhoun said. "I went to [the car dealership] a lot just to visit."
Gildner ended up with his car dealership in Arkadelphia after stopping for a sandwich there.
He and another manager at a Texas car dealership drove to Nashville, Tenn., to purchase a dealership, his wife said.
It wasn't the right "fit," and the two headed back to Texas. They stopped at the Andy's Restaurant on Pine Street in Arkadelphia to eat, and a former Ouachita Baptist University president who also was at the restaurant noticed the two men.
"He saw their dealership plates on their car and he asked if they knew a former OBU football player who was the spokesman for the dealership," Cheryl Gildner said. "They got to talking and the president said, 'I'd like to keep you boys in town.'"
The president said there was a dealership for sale.
"Neal was like, 'Thank you,' but he wasn't interested in settling down in Arkansas. But he ended up settling down in Arkansas," Cheryl Gildner said.
Gildner opened three dealerships side by side in Arkadelphia and was one of the first to offer all brands of American-made cars.
"He was the only person who could have pulled that off," Cheryl Gildner said.
Wayne Neel worked with Gildner at Arkadelphia for 18 years as a salesman.
"I learned more from him than from anyone," Neel said. "One thing he always said was, 'If I catch you lying to a customer, you're fired.'
"He was honest and straightforward."
Calhoun said he bought several cars from Gildner, who always made sure he got a "good deal."
"He was always helping us out," Calhoun said.
When Gildner became interested in raising and training quarter horses, he wanted someone to go with him to a center in Stephenville, Texas. He asked Neel.
"He paid for my trip to go with him," Neel said. "He was not a tight person. He would help anybody he could."
He often sponsored a "Drive For Schools" event in which his dealership would donate money to the schools for each test drive.
He once raised $6,000 in six hours for the Arkadelphia High School band, Neel said.
"We felt fortunate we could do this," Cheryl Gildner said. "There were a list of charities and groups we believed in."
Gildner supported schools, the 4-H organization, the Clark County Humane Society and Guardian Angels, a Hot Springs animal shelter.
He and his wife were married Feb. 14, 2010.
"I teased him that he would have to get me three presents that day because it was also my birthday," Cheryl Gildner said. "We were partners in everything -- in business, on the farm and in marriage. He taught me how to love somebody and how to be loved."
State Desk on 06/01/2016