The Man Behind a Clock’s Chime | Knoxville man fixes grandfather clock in retirement community

KNOXVILLE, Tenn — In the Parkview Senior Living North lobby, time doesn’t just pass; it’s cared for. A grandfather clock that once stood silent is now kept running by one resident, Lloyd Kahler.

When Kahler moved to Parkview Senior Living three years ago, he said the grandfather clock was broken. He told them if they gave him the key to the clock, he’d make it work. Kahler stayed true to that promise. With the knowledge he has from owning a grandfather clock and the help of a “clock surgeon,” they got the old grandfather clock running again.

“All the weights were in the bottom of this thing and the chains and everything else. It needed oil and it has never been oiled. And the clock itself, the cabinetry is not a factory made, it’s handmade. It’s made in two sections,” said Kahler.

Now every few days, he adjusts the weights with a carefully gloved hand to keep the balance. He said the glove will keep the weights from tarnishing. Kahler said you have to be very careful when handling the clock.

“I caution the cleaner, the ladies who mop and so forth, about bumping it because it is super sensitive. If that pendulum gets off at all, it’s not gonna keep time properly and the adjustment is in the bottom of that pendulum,” said Kahler.

The clock now chimes every quarter hour. Which Kahler said is a sound residents have learned to listen for. Before, people never paid attention to the broken clock, Kahler said, now they do a double-take when they hear it.

For him, Kahler said the sound means something more. He has a pacemaker, which is designed to keep his own heartbeat steady.

“I can feel my pacemaker and it’s set at 60. If it drops below 60, then my pacemaker kicks in. I associate that with the heart of this. This is the heart, just like this is my heart,” said Kahler.

Kahler said when the clock chimes, he stops to listen. He said it means as much to him today as it meant the first day he heard it when he was fixed. At 94 years old, Kahler said this small job gives him satisfaction and gratification that people pay attention to now.

And as long as he walks these halls, Kahler said he will take care of the clock. Kahler said staff members at the Parkview Senior Living Community have given the old grandfather clock a new name since he fixed it up. He said they call it Lloyd’s Clock.

Fixing the clock isn’t the only notable thing Kahler has done. He said he served as mayor of Norris for three terms. 

“I’ve been all things in my life. I worked 36 years for the government. I’ve been in the Air Force, went to college and I’ve done everything,” said Kahler.