History of A & B Auto Parts

For Howard “Bill” Haynes — The Heart Behind the Yard

Some people build businesses.

Bill Haynes built a place where people felt less alone.

A & B Auto Parts began in 1995, but its real beginning was long before a sign ever went up. It started with Bill’s hands — hands that learned work the hard way, hands that carried more than tools. They carried responsibility, pride, and the kind of quiet strength people lean on without realizing it.

When Bill opened the yard, it wasn’t glamorous. It was mud, metal, early mornings, and hope. He walked those rows like they were something sacred, not because of what the cars were, but because of what they could become. To Bill, nothing was ever just “junk.” Not cars, not parts, not people. Everything deserved another look, another chance.

And that belief shaped everything.

Customers didn’t simply stop by for parts; they showed up because Bill treated them with a kind of everyday dignity that’s rare now. He listened. He helped. He told the truth even when it was inconvenient. If someone didn’t have enough money, he worked with them. If someone was lost on what they needed, he took the time. He didn’t rush. He didn’t upsell. He didn’t judge.

He just helped.

Over the years, the yard grew, but Bill didn’t change. He still wore the same calm expression when things were chaotic. He still stepped in when someone needed a hand. He carried burdens without ever saying he was carrying them. The yard didn’t just reflect his work — it reflected his character.

And people noticed.

Mechanics trusted him. Families relied on him. Employees learned from him. Some learned how to fix cars; others learned how to show up in life. Bill didn’t preach values. He lived them, one decision, one day, one person at a time.

When Bill passed, something shifted — not in the loud way grief usually announces itself, but in a quiet, aching way. The yard felt different, like a familiar voice had fallen silent. But memories have their own kind of gravity, and Bill’s presence never really left.

You can feel him in the steadiness of the work.

In the honesty of a deal.

In the simple belief that helping someone matters.

His way of doing things became the yard’s way of doing things.

A & B Auto Parts stands today because Bill built more than a business — he built a legacy rooted in decency, humility, and humanity. This page exists because the story of the yard is inseparable from the story of the man who started it.

His life shaped this place.

His values keep it steady.

His spirit lives on in every part pulled, every customer served, every door that stays open another day.