GRAFTON, Wis. — In life, we all have things that make us tick. When you take a look around Dan Delorit’s Grafton home you quickly realize that clocks are his passion. While retired from his career as a healthcare executive, you will still find Delorit hard at work in his basement shop repairing cuckoo clocks. On this particular Monday afternoon, he is replacing the bellows which make noise when a bird appears at the top of the hour.

“These are called whistles, they are what make the cuckoo sound,” says Delorit, as he works on a decades old clock.

Delorit has learned the art of clock repair over the years, but began to get serious with it after he retired. He has since opened Cuckoo for Clock Repair based out of his home. Few clock repair specialists know how to work with cuckoo clocks, a reason he says his services are highly sought after. For him, it isn’t about the money, but instead about helping to preserve memories.

“You fix the clock, deliver it, and the first time they hear it strike, tears well up in their eyes. The tears fall down the cheek and they say I haven’t heard this clock run since Dad passed away or I remember sleeping in my bedroom at Grandma’s and hearing this clock,” Delorit says.

Cuckoo clocks, which originate in Germany, remain very popular here in Wisconsin, due in large part to the state’s strong German heritage.

“You find people in pockets, West Bend is a very popular area for cuckoo clocks, Milwaukee very big area for Cuckoo clocks, Sheboygan,” added Delorit.

While most of his business comes from Wisconsin he has repaired clocks from as far away as Korea. He also regularly gets repair requests from across the United States including Alaska and California.

To learn more about Cuckoo for Clock Repair, you can visit Dan’s website.