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Dean Taylor August 3 at 9:22am Re: Benny Mannion, BHS Class of '81    Dear Family and Friends of my friend Ben, ...As
you may or may not know, Ben has become very ill and is now fighting
what is probably the worst disease ever, cancer. He has been through
several very trying surgeries already and continues on with his battle. I
saw Ben last Friday night and was so thankful he was up and about and
able to talk with me. At first, I was scared to go see him...I didn't
know what to expect, I didn't know what to say. After about 30 seconds
with him, I realized there is nothing to be afraid of, this is my buddy,
just as he has always been....his body is struggling with his condition
but his mind is still very sharp, as always...he's always been a great
friend to me.
Over the last 15 years or so, Ben has been working
to restore a 1971 Chevelle. He has redone everything on this car, paying
meticulous attention to detail, down to the last bolt. It's actually
unbelievable how much attention he paid to every detail. Nothing but
first class! I remember him starting on it at his father-in-law's, (the
late Bob Baker) garage many years ago. I remember Ben scouring for parts
and in fact, he even bought a couple of other cars just to get the
parts he needed to make this one right. Needless to say, he has put
countless hours of blood, sweat and tears into building his dream car.
As
it stands now, the car is about 85% (guess) complete. It's been sitting
in his garage under a cover for the last couple of years because his
attention has been focused on taking care of his home and
children...even helping them get their own cars. He has also been ill
and not feeling well for quite some time.
As far as I know, the
car needs paint, interior work, tires and probably some mechanical work
to finish up. I'm sure it will take quite a bit of effort and money to
finish, probably more than I am expecting, but I want to help him do it
right.
I am working with a paint and body man (Doug Schultz) to
hopefully get a great job done at a fair price. I am also in process of
collecting information for what else it will need to be complete. I
would guess (just a wild guess) that it's going to take about 5K or so
to do it right. There will be no cut-corners.
That said, I am
officially starting a fund raiser to help get this done for him. I will
open a separate account just for this purpose and will be loyal to the
funds. I myself, am going to open with a $250.00 donation to get the
ball rolling. No one is expected to donate large amounts, I just hope
you can all give what you are comfortable with to help out. I am
prepared to add more if we fall short. I am set do what ever it takes,
for myself, for his friends, for his family and most of all, for him.
When
all is said and done, I am planning on having a plaque made (or
something sentimental) with each person's name that donated on it it.
There will be no dollar amounts mentioned on the plaque, I don't think
that is appropriate. Just knowing everyone did what they were
comfortable with is fair enough. I am hoping we will have a long list of
his family and friends on his plaque.
If Ben is unable to drive
the car for some reason when it's done, I would like for his fine young
son Marc to take him for his first ride in it. I think that would be the
appropriate thing to do. Marc is a great kid and is much like his dad
when he was that age. The kid can play some baseball from what I
understand too. I saw him pitch a few in the backyard Friday evening,
what an arm!
Checks may be made out and sent to me at my home
address below. I will keep everyone posted on the amount we have raised,
what is being done and what the expenses are. If for some reason, we
have excess money when all is said and done, that money will be directed
back to Marie and Ben.
Please don't hesitate in sending your
donation as soon as possible! I want this to take shape and make it
happen very soon! No one knows how much time any of us have in this
world, so there is no waiting or procrastinating allowed! If you are
financially challenged, even a small donation will be greatly
appreciated, it all adds up! If it will take you a week or two (or even a
few) to get a few bucks, not a problem!
Also, to each person
that donates: Please e-mail me at CATECCWR@aol.com so I have your e-mail
address, I will send out periodical updates and pictures on our
progress. Put "Ben's Car" in the subject line so I will know what it is
about.
I'd love to take his car and get it all done without him
knowing like on TV, but that isn't really possible. I will probably get
Ben involved with it once we have some money raised. It will give him
something to do and look forward to as he is not currently working. We
all know how he loves his projects! Although he is not physically
capable of finishing it himself right now, he will be able to offer
direction and watch it unfold, the way he wants it to be. I don't want
to let him in on it just yet because I know he won't be comfortable with
us making donations. Once I have a substantial amount on money to get
things moving, then he won't have much choice and I'm sure he'll be
happy to jump onboard.
Please be sure to forward this to anyone
who might be interested in helping out as I don't know a lot of his
friends and family's e-mail addresses.
This should be a lot of fun for all of us and what a great way to honor my life-time friend, Ben.
Don't hesitate to call or e-mail me with any questions, comments or suggestions. I look forward to hearing from you all soon.
Thanks to all and God Bless!
Dean
Email Cheryl Jozsa thru this website to help......... or check us out same page name on FACEBOOK :O)
UPDATE ON BENNY from DEAN TAYLOR: October 05,2010
Bayshore High School, Bradenton, FL Concerned Alumni and Friends Dean Taylor October 4 at 11:02am Report
Great news! Ben has been receiving a series of treatments and has taken very well to them. He is getting around very well now and is even able to drive again. He's eating like a horse and continues to be in great spirits. He's gone through a lot, but it seems to be paying off. We take each day as it comes, and hope for many more.
The Chevelle is still in the body shop where my good friend Willie continues to work on it. Willie is somewhat of a perfectionist, which is exactly what we wanted for this project. He has worked wonders in a couple of problem areas. We expect to see some paint fly in the next week or two.
Ben and I continue to work on car parts, getting them all cleaned up to like new condition, as well as ordering other stuff we will need. There are a lot of details we are addressing.
We're both getting very excited about bringing the car home and to get started finishing the interior and putting all the decorations on it. That is where the fun is! There is still a substantial amount of work to do however, it's a lot of fun too.
I will post some updated pictures when we make more progress. Check back soon to see the car after it's painted!
I can't say enough about all the donations we have received. Totals are near $2,600.00 now and some continue to trickle in. Thank You to all that have helped make this possible!!! It has given both of us something to do and look forward to, which is much needed in this situation.
We are still short of our goal so if you would like to see your name on the plaque I'm making, please feel free to send your donation. Large or small, it all helps! The plaque will be mounted in the car, under the trunk lid so when the trunk is open, it will be clearly visible. We are also assembling a photo album of the car from day one, nearly 15 years ago.
It's gonna be awesome, I'm tellin' ya!
Best Regards,
Dean Taylor
2470 De Garmo St.
North Port, FL 34291
(941) 720-5277
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