Eutawville, SC (WLTX) — The 89-year-old Eutawville man whose work van and lift were stolen is sleeping easier now that they have been found.
Late Wednesday night Bill Watkins, who owns 'Signs by Bill,' said his work van and lift were found in the woods about 10 miles from his home in rural Orangeburg County.
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Watkins has been in the sign-making business for nearly 75 years, and he says it's the joy of going to work that keeps him moving. He says, "There's never been a day that I didn't want to be in the sign business or a sign shop."
But over the weekend, a green lift he uses to install those billboards was stolen along with his van, putting him out of work. "It's devastated me," he said earlier this week. "I've never had anything hurt nearly as bad. I've just felt totally exhausted it's like it's taken all the life out of me."
But now, he'll be able to resume his business.
After a career that spans nearly three quarters of a century in the sign business Watkins explains that his business is not just his place of employment but it's his home away from home. "This is where I'm comfortable. This is what I'm comfortable doing and I feel so relieved and relaxed here and I'm not worried about anything around me because I built everything around me."