Support Matt's Mission for His Dad's Joy

Hi my name is Matt Kimbler and I'm raising money to help make this army veterans (my dad’s) dream come true. I'm working on it but takes time and money. I would love to get it done quicker so he can have time to enjoy it for the remaining time we still have left with him. His story his below...

"I was born in Eastern Kentucky, a coal miner son, I was raised on the family farm and worked around the coal mines in the spring to help with school supplies and to buy cloths to help the ease on dad when I was in high school as he was widowed.

I enter the U.S. Army in 1972 to serve my country. I got married in 1975 and we had two boys.

After spending time back and forth at different duty stations from overseas and the United States we found ourselves station at Fort Hood Texas, but after thirteen months we were back overseas in Germany for another four years and then we were shipped back to Fort Hood Texas, this time for six years.

But in June 1980, I was looking for a truck in the Thrifty Nickle paper and found one that a farmer had for sale in Coppers Cove, Texas and we went to look at it. Pulled up at the address the truck was a 67 C20 Chevy ¾ ton long wheelbase Stepside, faded factory green, Six-cylinder engine, three speed transmission, the bench seat was black and yellow checker, the tires sixteen-inch split rim, I told the man I wanted to buy the truck. After buying it took us two and half-hours to drive the truck 8 miles to our house.

I got My first truck) June 1,1980, I named her (OLD BETSY). I was so excited when I got the truck. The next day we looked at her and found she had a bad carb, replaced bad wheel bearings, got her running well, and I drove it every day to work for six year and I was proud to drive her.

The boy’s enjoyed riding in the truck, we had fun driving all over the place we took the truck more than the car because they enjoyed riding in the truck.

Later I came down on orders to go back over sea to Germany. My wife I talked about the truck, and I told her I will have to sale (OLD BETSY), but I hated to sell her because it was my first truck. I drove around Killeen to car lots trying to sell the truck and they all told me they would only pay me about five hundred dollars for her, I got mad and drove her back to the house told my wife and she said we will put it in storage so you can keep your truck.

So, for the next four years the truck sat in storage waiting for use to return to the states in Dec 1990, I had orders to go to Fort Bliss, Texas. Before I left, I went and got the truck (OLD BETSY) out of storage and hauled her to our home where I put her in the backyard. I went to Fort Bliss, Texas until I retirement June 1992. I spent twenty years in the United States Army.

After I retired the truck took low priority , because family came first! I saved up some money to fix the truck and again and again but something always came up so had to use the money for other things, the truck just had to wait. My wife asked me one day what I was going to do with the truck it was just sitting in the back yard I told her we can’t afford to fix her, but I didn’t want to sell her or junk her, so I just cover her up.

What time the truck was seating I started dreaming how I wanted to fix her up so I made up a spread sheet of parts that I thought I would need and put them in a note binder for when the kids grow up and moved out on their own, but the old truck still there waiting to hit the road again.

But that day never came I turned 70 and the truck still there until my son Matthew asked me for the truck and I hesitated because it was my first truck, but my wife said let him have it maybe he can do something with it. One day I called him and told him to come and get her and he could have the truck as long he didn’t sale her, so he brought his truck and trailer to pick her up I gave him the note binder with the list of parts I thought it would take.

That day it brought tears to my eyes when I watch (OLD BETSY) go down the street my wife said that he will take care of her.

My wife said maybe he will be able to get the truck fix like the way you wanted it’s been in the family for 44 years. But let him add his input to it too.

But time still moving on and now I am 72 years old now, I hope one day the 67 C20 Chevy ¾ ton long wheelbase will look new again and running down the road like she was made to do. One day I will get to see (Old Betsy), or he will name her a different name come back to life."

The truck has been fully torn down, i have sandblasted the frame, gathered all the parts for the suspension, wheels, body panels, and a new engine. Just need to have the labor and odd and end parts to get her together. Anything helps to get OLD BETSY on the road. I had a rendering done and gave my dad one and it was very emotional. Help me make this reality come to life quicker. Thank you.

Yes that’s me in it as a child!!!!