Beacon News- August 2020

Page 10A THE BEACON August 2020
By
Doris
Butt
Community
Correspondent
goodolddays@goBEACONnews.com
The Dodge.
I didn’t cry.
I thought the moment I
made my decision that it was
going to be an emotional one.
I had too much heart in it.
Actually, the meeting was
enjoyable. There was not a
hint of sadness.
For some time, I have been
thinking about the things Ray
and I will leave behind. I
actually put together a spiralbound
booklet with photos
and stories of our heirlooms
for our three children.
I purposely left out something
I had that was very special
to me, for I knew it would
have no meaning to any of our
children. It was my collection
of items all related to my
1957 Custom Royal Lancer
Dodge convertible.
That purchase had its
beginning when I was around
twelve years old. I cut out
car ads from the Saturday
Evening Post and put them in
a scrapbook with peppermintsmelling
paste. Mom kept lots
of treasures, but I am sorry
she did not keep the scrapbook.
Time goes on, and I remember
posting ads for cars
in my college room. I hustled
through college in less than
three years by going in the
summer and in between summer
and fall. That extra effort
allowed me to begin teaching
at age twenty-one. Not
long before that, I thought I
could finally afford my car.
I had decided it would be
the impressive finned Dodge
convertible.
On Nov. 25, 1956, I ordered
BRATER - WINTER
FUNERAL HOMES
my convertible for $3,374.70
minus the $500 for the 1950
Studebaker I bought from
my brother-in-law. The fins
and the lower body would
be black, with the rest being
white. It arrived in February.
I was making $4,000 a year
as a teacher. My monthly payments
were $130. The insurance
was $100 a year.
After almost a year of
dating, Ray and I married.
He brought a paid-for 1955
Chevy to the wedding. I
brought my beloved, year-old
Dodge with lots of payments.
And you can assume what
happened. Our daughter was
soon on her way, and I would
not be teaching. We could not
afford my proud purchase.
Tears were shed, but I knew it
had to go. I am sure I did not
realize at the time how deep
my purchase was in my heart.
I guess remembering that
Dad took it back and traded it
for a pickup with much lower
payments was too painful.
Ray reminded me of that
lately. I do not think fondly of
Dad for doing that. I would
later drive that truck loaded
with tomato crates to the local
ketchup factory in Sunman,
but that is another story.
My Dodge was purchased
by someone who lived along
the road and parked it outside.
When I saw it, I got knots in
my stomach.
The story rested over thirtyfive
years until Ray and I
retired. I am not sure why Ray
and I began a quest to find the
same model car as mine at
various car shows like Chrysler
weekend at Carlyle and
Hershey in Pennsylvania. We
traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota,
and Daytona, Florida.
We soon noted that those
cars must have rusted away
because we only found three
similar convertibles at all
those big-time shows.
I also began a collection
of items relating to 1957
Dodges.
All that time, we were wintering
in Florida. At church
one Sunday, I saw our friend
Larry Phillips, a classic car
owner who knew of my great
sacrifice. He called up a few
pews to me. “I saw a Dodge
like yours.”
“What?” He had my attention.
He went on to explain
that it was at The Villages Car
Show just twenty-five miles
away.
Ray and I soon went to
see his very rare find. Sure
enough, it was there. It was
black and yellow with a bigger
engine. Otherwise, it was
just like mine. I relayed my
story to the owners, Brad and
Elaine Werner, snowbirds
from Maine. From that friendly
visit, I agreed to send them
a copy of my order sheet.
This past summer, I find
myself tearfully going
through my collection of a
half dozen photos of my car,
pictures of the convertibles
we found like it, various ad
pieces, and a rare model
I purchased from eBay. It
was then I knew what to do
with my collection. I would
give it and the five columns
I had written about it to the
Werners. I contacted them,
and we made a time to meet
at a restaurant near Ocala. I
was thrilled when they said
they would drive their now
sixty-year-old beauty valued
at over $85,000.
And I wondered if I would
cry.
Ray and I arrived at the
restaurant a bit early, and we
parked facing the road. Suddenly,
The Dodge, as I now
refer to it, missed the entrance
and passed on by. It turned
around, drove in, and found a
protected place to park. Dear
readers, it made an impression.
Make
it happen!
The beloved custom Royal Lancer Dodge convertible.
From the first greeting, we
had a good time sharing our
car stories.
Brad and Elaine purchased
the car in California. They
spent over three years acquiring
the needed parts to get the
car where it is today. They
transported it to Florida some
years ago.
I learned my Dodge, like
the Werner’s, was the best of
the line.
There were no tears.
The Werners appreciated
my presentation very much.
I have to confess that I just
couldn’t let loose of the order
sheet and loan papers. I made
copies of them.
M
DEAR
ARIE
By
Marie
Segale
marie@goBEACONnews.com
Dear Marie,
I am so upset about the way
my husband spends money!
He has a very irresponsible
attitude about bills, especially
if the credit card is in both
our names. The past ten years
have been very rocky for us,
and I see a great deal of the
problem is about money. I
have managed to get my name
off joint credit cards, which
helps. My husband will take
money from our payment we
get from a rental property
that I have, and put it in his
E*TRADE account. I am not
on that account and have no
access to it. When I discovered
his actions, I took over
the renter’s payments and
make that mortgage payment
every month.
This man loves to shop! I
can’t tell you how many pairs
of shoes he has or how many
he continually buys for our
daughter or me. He has an
extreme amount of baseball
memorabilia displayed in his
man cave, where he plays
video games on the latest or
newest devices. So, of course,
his spending habits have us in
debt.
The meeting made me feel
good about folks in general.
Spending time with nice
people is a joy.
Now here is the best part.
After we left, Ray and I followed
them some ten miles.
Seeing the grand creation of
times past on the road among
cookie-cutter styled cars of
today was a thrilling scene.
I want to thank the Werners
for sharing The Dodge and
giving me the very personal
opportunity to pass on some
gatherings.
I must admit these words
make me sad that the memory
of The Dodge is still in my
heart after such a long time.
We took out a home equity
line of credit on the home I
owned before we were married.
The loan was used to
pay off some debt. I make
the payments on the loan out
of my paycheck. As I pay it
down, my husband will go
into the account and withdraw
any newly available funds,
keeping the account balance
maxed out. His behavior is
maddening because the bank
will not let me reduce the
equity loan amount to prevent
him from accessing the
funds since his name is on
the account. I feel stuck. I am
considering using a total of
the equity loan to pay off the
credit card debt solely in my
name. When my husband tries
to access the funds, there will
be nothing left. Marie, I am so
frustrated. What do you think
I should do?
Tina in Aurora
Dear Tina,
I can certainly understand
your frustration. Sadly,
financial infidelity causes
many marriages to end. I will
suggest financial counseling
as well as marriage counseling.
Often, financial infidelity
is indicative of other concerns
that need to be addressed in a
marriage.
Ask your husband to make
a choice; does he want counseling
or divorce? Living in
such turmoil will tear you two
apart in the long run, not to
mention what it has done to
you already!
Have a pressing issue?
Contact Marie@goBEACON
news.com
Home Equity Line of Credit Rates
as low as 3.25% APR and
no closing costs*
Low Rate Home Equity Line
Now you can tackle that remodeling project, thanks to the equity
in your home and our great low rate. A Civista Bank Home Equity
Line of Credit offers the financing you need from a trusted lender.
In fact, we’ve been helping families like yours for over 135 years!
Learn more at civista.bank or call 800.604.9368 to
schedule an appointment with your local branch.
* Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) lowest rate is Prime (3.25% Annual Percentage Rate (APR) as of 06/01/2020). The lowest rate includes no closing costs for equity lines under $500,000.00 that remain open for at least 36 months. If you close your line of credit
within 36 months of account opening, the bank origination fee waived at account opening ($350.00 as of 06/01/2020) may be assessed. Annual fee is $75.00 and is waived with automatic monthly payment deduction from Civista Bank checking account.
The APR may vary based on The Wall Street Journal “Prime Rate” (Prime) as published on the first day of the month. Minimum APR is 3.25% and maximum APR is 25.00%. Rate and terms may change at any time and may vary by
property type, loan amount, credit history, and loan-to-value ratio. Property insurance required and flood insurance may be required. Consult your tax advisor regarding the tax deductibility of interest.
Important Consideration when managing Interest-Only Payments: the interest rate on a home equity line of credit is variable; therefore, your monthly interest-only payment
may change with market rates. Your principal balance is only reduced when you make voluntary principal payments during the 15 year draw period
of your home equity line of credit. At maturity, any remaining account balance outstanding will be due in a single
balloon payment. At that time, the bank may, but is not obligated to, refinance the line of
credit. Subject to credit and property approval.
Twenty-six Years of Bringing our Community and Businesses Together.
19CZN81 HELOC_Ad_10x5.45_4C_r2.indd 1
6/26/20 9:32 AM