SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. (WHTM) – Jeff Showaker’s passion wasn’t hard to nail down. He loved International Harvester.

“We met 20 some years ago in a dealership and we just instantly clicked and been friends ever since,” Kevin Lechner said.

Showaker and Lechner went to auctions together, bringing home loads of equipment, toys, memorabilia, you name it.

Showaker had his own business and was known for being the leader of tractor restoration.

“He had an excellent business mind,” Showaker’s wife, Karen, said.

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“A $15,000 tractor turned into a $50,000 tractor when he did it,” auctioneer Darvin Rodgers said.

Showaker manufactured roofs that weren’t a part of the original tractor.

He passed away in December after battling illness for about eight years. He knew it was his time after his final restoration was complete. His 1066 IH.

“He asked me to take him for a ride in his ashes to McDonald’s in Shippensburg and get three cheeseburgers and three milkshakes,” Lechner said. “What they were for is when we would go to visit him in the hospital for the last five years we’d always get a milkshake.”

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Lechner beared the cold for his friend, driving the tractor four miles to fulfill Showaker’s wish. The loss left behind Showaker’s massive IH collection.

“This is huge,” Rodgers said.

The collection is set to be auctioned off over the course of 2024. There are around 4,200 lots that’ll be sold in a series of six auctions.

“I’m proud of him,” Karen Showaker said. “I’m proud of what he did. I’m proud of everything that he collected.”

The first auction is slated for Mar. 9 at the Newville Fairgrounds. The tractors will be up for auction later on this year.

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