Myron "Mike" P. Shevell, who rose from driving a pickle truck to leading one the most profitable family-owned trucking companies in the United States, died on January 24th in Palm Beach, Florida. He was 87 years old.

Mr. Shevell began his career working for his father, Nathan, who owned a small trucking fleet in Perth Amboy, New Jersey that transported seafood from the New Jersey shore and, on occasion, liquor during Prohibition. When the younger Mr. Shevell was 14 years old, he spent nights doing deliveries, and the fact that he lacked a driver's license seemed a mere technicality. He ferried groceries to warehouses and restaurants from Baltimore to New Jersey, then returned home for breakfast before jumping on the bus to school.

After graduating from George Washington University and New York University, Mr. Shevell assumed executive roles at Apex Express, the family-owned business. He went from there to Royal Motor Lines, which later merged with Eastern Freight Ways. During the 1970s, Mr. Shevell and his brother, Daniel, increased revenues remarkably, turning it into the gold standard of the business and taking the company public. The brothers took control of Associated Transport, making it the third-largest trucking company in America. But the fuel crisis, along with other complications of the merger, resulted in the collapse of both companies. In 1977, Mr. Shevell acquired New England Motor Freight where he became the chairman and chief executive officer.

Mike Shevell loved trucks, he lived and breathed trucks, and he passed along his enthusiasm to his three children. On weekends, he brought Nancy, Jon and Susan with him to truck terminals, giving each of them a quarter for every one of his trucks they spotted along the way. Collecting antique trucks was his only hobby.

He ran his businesses with characteristic warmth, greeting the drivers by name, and beginning his annual addresses with a blast of Frank Sinatra's "My Way."

Despite his enormous passion for the business, Mr. Shevell did not look the part. He dressed in bespoke Oxxford suits and lavished himself with Pucci aftershave, leaving the scent in his wake. Yet he didn't hesitate, if needed, to poke beneath the hood or crawl under a vehicle. He started each morning in the maintenance shop, ate a deli sandwich at his desk every day, and dined at a restaurant, usually Il Mulino, Elio's, Fresco, or the Friars Club in Manhattan, every evening.

At its peak, NEMF had 4,200 employees and operated 10,000 pieces of equipment with 40 terminals throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwestern United States. Mr. Shevell believed in the importance of unions and their support of the labor force, but was unintimidated by the power of the Teamsters and eventually replaced them with the Machinists union in late 1970s. In 2019, one year after its 100th anniversary, New England Motor Freight filed for bankruptcy protection. It closed operations in 2020.

Mr. Shevell's career soared to great heights and fell to deep lows. He was named Master Entrepreneur of the Year by Ernst & Young and served as the vice-chairman of the New Jersey Transit Corporation and president of the New Jersey Trucker's Association. He received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. He also served on the board of the Ronald McDonald House Charities for over a decade.

Myron Shevell is survived by his daughter, Nancy McCartney and son-in-law Sir Paul McCartney, daughter Susan Shevell, and grandchildren Arlen Walters Blakeman, Merissa Leigh Simon and her husband David T. Simon, Zachary Walters Cohen and his wife Arielle T. Cohen, and great- grandchildren Arley, Logan and Charlotte. He is predeceased by his wife of 34 years, Arlene Walters Shevell, and his son Jon Shevell.

Shiva: The family will receive condolence calls at The Mark Hotel, 25 E. 77 ^th St. NY, NY 10075, on Saturday, January 29 ^th from 5:00pm -9:00pm and Sunday, January 30 ^th from 1:00pm to 9:00pm.