AR-0007819608-01

Hubert G. Pitre1932 - 2012

Long time Phoenix area automotive dealerHubert G. (Bert) Pitre passed away Tuesdaymorning, July 10th, 2012 at his home inScottsdale, Arizona. Born in Bay City,Michigan, Pitre seemingly was born to be inthe automobile business, selling the familycar at age 14. After he graduated from theGeneral Motors Institute in Flint, Michigan, hewas a Service Advisor and Used Car Salesmanat Garber Buick in Saginaw, Michigan. Hesaved enough money to eventually open hisfirst dealership, Bert Pitre Chevrolet Cadillacin Greenville, Michigan in 1965. In the early1970s, General Motors offered Pitre a newBuick franchise in Scottsdale, Arizona. PitreBuick opened as one of the first dealerships onScottsdale’s Motor Mile in 1973. Pitre’s voicewas a familiar sound on Phoenix radio stationsthrough the late 1990swith his signature “Hello,this is Bert Pitre” introductions, always endinghis radio commercials with a “thank you.” Pitrealso spoofed popular television commercialsof the day to promote his dealerships. From

the early 70s through the late 90s, he opened multiple dealerships in Phoenix, Scottsdale and SunCity. His new car franchises included Buick, Pontiac, GMC Truck, Chrysler, Plymouth, Jeep, Eagle,Kia, Subaru and Isuzu. Pitre was also an early franchisee of Hyundai. By the late 1990s, Pitreemployed nearly 500 people. He firmly believed that happy employees meant happy customersand was known by his family of employees to be tough but extraordinarily generous. He receivednumerous awards for sales performance and customer satisfaction at his dealerships and sat onseveral dealer councils. He sold his dealerships to Florida-based AutoNation in 1998. The Ptirefamily name remained on his dealerships for several years thereafter, eventually being renamedPower. The Pitre family name is still represented on his son Bob’s Buick GMC Truck dealershipin Albuquerque, New Mexico. Outside of the car business, Pitre enjoyed fishing and was an avidgolfer, at one time belonging to five different country clubs and owning ten sets of left-handedclubs. He loved baseball. Originally a Detroit Tigers fan, Pitre was one of the original investorswho helped launch the expansion MLB Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix. Pitre is survived by hiswife of 57 years Dorothy (Dody), a daughter, Jan Pitre-Dixon and her husband Dennis of Flagstaff;son Bob Pitre and his wife Mandy of Albuquerque; son Tom Pitre and his wife Libby of Phoenix;and nine grandchildren. A memorial visitation will be held from 6:00pm-8:00pm, with a rosary at7:00pm, Friday, July 13, 2012 at Messinger Indian School Mortuary, 7601 E. Indian School Rd.,in Scottsdale. A Memorial Mass will be held at 10:00am, Saturday, July 14, 2012 at Our Lady ofPerpetual Help, 3801 N. Miller Rd., in Scottsdale.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Hospice of theValley, 1510 E. Flower St., Phoenix, AZ 85014, or the ALS Foundation

(Lou Gehrig’s Disease), 4643 E. Thomas Rd. Suite 1, Phoenix, AZ 85018.