Reuel T. Call, founder of Maverik Country Stores, Inc. passed away on September 24 at the age of 94. He was a remarkable man and will be missed by many who knew him and who were influenced by his life. His values and character traits were his hallmark and they served him well in his quest to build businesses and relationships that influenced people and improved their station in life.

That he was a maverick is a well known fact. But what made him so? He was not afraid to try things that were less than a sure bet. His natural optimism lead him to believe that he could succeed – even when others thought he couldn't. He never let self doubt nor the possibility of failure hold him back.

In the late 1920's he entered the gasoline business; clearly one of the early pioneers. He adopted a self serve business model, when most continued to hang on to the tried and true full service offering. At a time when gasoline supply was certainly not plentiful, he developed his own independent brand and converted his stations to the Maverik brand. The fact that he may not have supply didn't deter him from this objective. To address this obstacle, he boldly built two refineries and thus entered the refining and distribution sector of the petroleum business.

With his new refineries and a fleet of trucks, he began to provide product for his own locations. He also served as wholesale distributor to many others who saw the value in an independent brand.

A man of vision, he focused on the big picture and tried to envision what the future had in store. Much to the chagrin of others responsible for making his new ventures operate, he didn't often dwell on the details. He thought big, he planned big and he accomplished big.

We will miss him greatly. But the lessons he taught, the foundation he created and the lofty goals he set, can inspire us all to achieve greater things.

Farewell for now, Grandpa.