When Dan Doane put out a request looking for a ’57 Chevy Bel Air for his 86-year-old father, he never expected such a strong response. The social media post got nearly 5,000 shares and landed them the car they were looking for — creating a special surprise for Art Doane this past weekend.
“When I posted this I expected maybe a couple of my friends might know somebody. Ironically, it was one of the first people who responded that made this possible,” Dan said.
Dan said his father, who resides at the Cedarhurst senior living facility, had no idea he was going to get the chance to sit in his favorite car.
“Dad can’t drive it. He can’t really even ride anymore since he’s in a wheelchair, but we got pictures of him sitting in it,” Dan said.
When Dan contacted Cedarhurst to arrange the surprise, he learned that the employees had already heard about it.
“Friends of friends had shared the post and people I don’t even know,” he said. “Car people who knew other car people made the connection.”
While his dad is not really a car fanatic, Dan said this particular make and model is special to Art.
“He always said if he could have any car, he’d have this one. I told him I had a surprise for him, but I didn’t tell him what it was.”
Reflecting on how quickly everything fell into place, Dan said he is thankful for the community of response.
“I’ve lived here for 11 years. I used to live in New York,” he said. “If I had posted this there, I would have got maybe four responses.
Instead, Dan was flooded with comments and shares, everyone coming together to make a sweet man’s dream come true.
“The owner of the car, Tim Simmons was kind enough to give up part of his Saturday to spend it with my dad and allow him to see his absolutely stunning ’57,” Dan said. “Tom and his wife Nan are special people and I can’t thank them enough.”
