Mark Mathison was painting and restoring his last two cars this week, an orange 1970 Volkswagen Beetle and a red 1928 Model A Speedster. He’s sold Mathison Auto Body at 7350 Railroad Ave. after 37 years there.
He plans to work at the Church of the Valley, where he is an assistant pastor, and enjoy the fruits of a business he started at age 20 in 1980. A Gilroy High graduate, he worked for other body shops, Bonfante and Hogue Brothers before starting his own shop. He figures he’s worked on 5,000 cars in the shop, with help from his wife Karen and shop manager Steve Gonzales. At one point, with a larger staff, he worked on new Indian motorcycles, when that company had too many orders to do the work themselves.
The new owner, who takes over on April 25, is Aliandro Gonzales, of San Jose.
Longtime body shop changes hands
