02/27/2024
The world lost a great man over the weekend, my good friend Robert “Biff” Ogden. The owner of the legendary Ever Ready Trucking of Billerica.
Biff was a close friend and mentor to me over the years, teaching me things you couldn’t ever try to learn in a school. A larger than life character, he was always a man to stand up, speak his mind, and assert himself. He presented himself as a rough and tough character, but truly, he was a man that put everyone else first. If someone needed something, he’d always be there to help. His pride and joy always being his grandchildren, Dylan, Jordan, and Cooper, he was affectionately known as Peep, he would do anything for them, always making sure it was done with the utmost detail and extravagance.
Biff treated me like a member of his family, always taking me under his wing, and everything was a teaching moment. He loved helping me grow my business, so much so, that he allowed me to carry on the Ever Ready name into my company, which we later decided to stop doing because it caused more confusion than anything. We always enjoyed spending time with each other, whether at the shop, or going out to eat at all of the spots on his “approved list” multiple times a week. He would say “I have a lot of idiosyncrasies Jeffrey, is that a problem!?!?” He loved his routines, whether it was breakfast, lunch, or dinner, it would be me, him, and his son Biff Jr. and would get into his Mercury Marauder, always the same seats, then at the restaurant, same seats, and good luck if you tried to pay! His idiosyncrasies as he put it, have rubbed off on me over the years, saving dollar bills with the letter H on them, saving my coins for him to count out, adding lights and custom features to trucks, and looking at how someone else has their truck set up. We always had some sort of project going on, whether I was helping him complete his state quarter books, getting on my “brain phone” and ordering something off the internet that he needed, or working on one of his family member’s cars. I have no shortage of voicemails from him to hear his voice when I need to get that kick in the pants motivation he was always good at giving me.
People have said that he put the KING in TRUCKING. He was known all over the country as a legend in the industry, starting his career in 1959 with a Cabover H model Mack. He kept that truck all these years, until only a few years ago selling it to his friend Dennis Sheehan to be pampered with the rest of his fleet of classic bulldogs. He moved onto Kenworths and Peterbilts, building some of the most extravagant trucks you’d see on the road. The pride of the fleet being his 2000 W900L, the “show truck” that stayed in the garage right next to his chair where he’d hold court. Dave Hinxman knows all too well how many lights were on it, and how many times he was tasked with replacing them with a different style, or coming up with some sort of modification that you’d never think to see on an over the road truck. People would say when they’d go to truck shows, guys would be all excited polishing their rigs and the Ever Ready crew would come up over the hill and the show would be over, they knew they weren’t winning anymore. His trucks were featured in catalogs, magazines, and media going back over 50 years.
I’ll never be able to truly express how grateful I was to have him in my life. There will never be another person like Biff, and I know there are many people out there that are humbled to have met him. I’ll miss you my friend, have fun at that big truck stop in the sky!
A celebration of life has been planned by his daughter Noelle.
Saturday March 9th from 12 to 4
I will have memorial stickers at the event.
A truck parade is being planned by Paul White from Massachusetts Truckers and anyone looking to join in can contact him or check out the group page for more info.
Last but not least, I have to give a shout-out to his favorite son-in-law Lenny Lemieux for everything he did for him the last few weeks keeping him comfortable and being there for him.
