Face Of Siam Motors Will Be Missed

Hers was the smiling face that greeted customers by name at Siam Motors, 426 E. Brandon Blvd., Brandon, for more than 20 years. 

As far as Lamoon "Linda" Vassanapradit was concerned, customers were synonymous with family.

She would remember the names of customers, along with the make and model of their cars, years after they came to Siam Motors for service. 

And, for her loyal customers, Linda maintained a mental record of their occupations, the names and ages of their children, even the names of pets.

But now the chair behind her scrupulously neat desk in the office of Siam Motors is empty. 

Linda died July 26 at the age of 77. 

Linda and her husband of 49 years, Sam, immigrated to the United States from Thailand, settling in Riverview and establishing their successful business specializing in foreign cars in Brandon.

Linda was the front woman for Siam Motors and the expert in hunting down hard-to-get parts for customers' rare foreign autos.

While Sam was the mechanical genius behind the independent repair shop. 

It wasn't unusual for Volvo, Jaguar, Mercedes Benz and BMW dealerships to refer customers to Sam for more complicated repair jobs. And lovers of foreign cars had Linda's phone number on speed dial.

When she wasn't following up with a customer or tracking a scarce part so Sam could complete a repair, Linda enjoyed gardening and fishing.

In addition to her husband, Linda is survived by her daughters, Ann and Anita (Seth), and one sister.

Family and friends are invited to a visitation on Sunday, Aug. 4 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Serenity Meadows Funeral Home, 6919 Providence Rd., Riverview.