Aland, I hear what you say. This chap has moved with the times and seen all the same changes as you, I figure this is "the straw and the camel's back" for him.
He has never made a fortune, just sufficient to live life and put his kids thru college. He never had flashy cars or vans that I saw. He was just an honest-to-goodness tradesman - not a "cake and eat it" type at all.