“Feel the love”: Remembering Danny Renshaw

The Bowling Green community is remembering the man behind Renshaw Automotive and whose faith, generosity, devotion to family, and love for people touched countless lives.

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WNKY) – To those who knew him best, Danny Renshaw was more than a successful businessman or a familiar name in Kentucky’s automotive industry. He was a man who lived his life by faith, resilience, generosity and who never missed a chance to remind those around him to “feel the love.”

His daughter, Deborah Parker Renshaw, remembers her father not for his titles, but for his presence.

“He loved showing up, at recitals, at games, at races,” she said. “He just wanted to be there for us. He poured into his grandchildren, he did the pranks and the jokes, but most of all he made each one of them feel special.”

Renshaw, who passed away Aug. 16 after a 512-day battle with lung cancer, built an automotive group that spanned multiple dealerships across Kentucky. But family and colleagues say what set him apart was not the scale of his business, but the way he invested in people.

“There’s an old saying that charity begins at home, and that was Danny,” Deborah said. “The way he gave to the community was the way he poured into us as kids and grandkids.”

That generosity stretched far beyond his family. As David Jackson, chief financial officer of Renshaw Automotive Group, explained, giving back was central to Danny’s life.

“Mr. and Mrs. Renshaw loved this community, and they really believed in investing in it,” Jackson said. “Whether it was the Renshaw Early Childhood Center for the Autism Program, or supporting SkyPAC and local schools, they gave back everywhere they had a dealership. They believed in dreams, they believed in people, and they wanted to see those things thrive.”

Jackson remembers Renshaw as someone who carried joy into every room.

“John F. Kennedy once said some people brighten a room when they enter, and others when they leave,” Jackson said. “Danny was the one who brightened it by walking in. He loved to laugh, he loved to sing, and he had this presence that made people feel good just being around him.”

For those in the automotive world, he was a mentor as much as a competitor. David Jaggers, now vice president and COO at Leachman Buick GMC, first met Renshaw more than 30 years ago when Renshaw bought a Ford dealership in Bowling Green.

“We were competitors, sure, but not in the way you’d expect,” Jaggers said. “I could call Danny anytime with a question, and he was always willing to help. He gave me great advice, and he never acted like he was above anyone. He was humble. He wanted you to succeed, too.”

Jaggers said Renshaw’s example reached far beyond the car business.

“Danny came from humble circumstances, but he never forgot who he was or where he came from,” he said. “He never treated anyone like he was better than them. He was giving, he was humble, and a lot of people aspired to be like him.”

Those qualities, Deborah says, are the lessons her father wanted to leave behind.

“Dad would say: learn something new every single day, focus on being a good person, and always have the courage to do the right thing,” she said. “And he would remind us, if you think you can or you can’t, you’re right. So don’t limit yourself. Be positive, and most importantly, love your family with all that you have.”

For his family, friends and the community he served, Danny Renshaw’s legacy cannot be measured only by the dealerships he built or the awards he earned. It is reflected in the lives he touched, and in the reminder he left behind for all who knew him.

“He lived those values every day of his life,”