In Loving Memory of Pokey the VW Bug

September 18, 2017

In Loving Memory of Pokey the VW Bug

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This is in dedication of my beloved 1970's Volkswagen Beetle.

[Disclaimer: It wasn't technically my Bug but i was the one who loved and cared for it and drove it to its death, so, we will call it mine.]

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Pokey and I met over 5 summers ago. At the time she went by 'The Pokey Veewee' which fit her slow going, idle-less, puttering frame. Years later, once she was worked on and in much better condition she began to go by the name Pocahontas, a bit more sophisticated for her light blue eloquence.

{A Picture of Miss Pocahontas}

Pokey and I went through alot. There were many joyful and frustrating adventures. Not to focus on the negative of her but here is a list of just a few well known times she decided to have a mind of her own and not work properly...

{Not in any particular order}

1.The time she left me stranded in the middle of the road and forced me to flag down a passer by and hitchhike back to the homestead.

2. The time she refused to idle properly and let us sit in bumper to bumper 4th of July traffic. We ended up pushing her until we could get out of traffic.

3.The time she wouldn't start in the Brownsville Church parking lot, and i humbly requested the assistance of many young people who rolled their eyes and still laugh at the multiple attempts it took to get her purring again.

4. The other time she wouldn't start in the Halsey Church parking lot and i recruited a couple of sturdy boys to push start me... twas a process also.

5.The night she broke down in town, so a dear friend of mine and i pushed her into the Fire station and, yet again, bounced a ride of off a nearby friend.

Those were the TOP 5 moments. She had many others in her shining glory.

But lets not forget the good she did:

1.Was a ~~reliable~~ vehicle to get me to asap wherever the boss wanted me.

2. Was able to take a hit from, lets hypothetically say a tree, or the scales at the warehouse, and still drive away perfectly fine...

3. She had character.. the good kind of course.

4. Din't take much to wash her {saved on the water bill;)}

5. Was one of a kind, so if she ever got stolen you would kno without a shadow of a doubt that was my Pokey being driven by a hobo with a straw cap...

More than once she was hidden, towed, push started, and threatened to be buried but she stood her ground and kept purring. It is also true that at the time of her passing she was running on one Headlight of both Brights and Dims{opposite sides of course} so every-time i changed lights she winked at the passerby's {such a flirt!} As well as her gas, speedometer, and, well actually, her entire dash didn't work so i was forced to count approximately 7 seconds in between telephone poles to estimate her speed. With all that being said she lived a full life, not that she is completely dead right now...more like in a coma state, waiting for a new engine.

Ah, yes. A new engine. Which leads me to the last story i had with her...and honestly the one that impacted her life the most, and practically ended it. Upon coming home from a youth event, a most tragic sound occurred in the back of Pokey. As you should all know, the engines are located in the back of old bugs. I kept my head on my shoulders and pulled her off to the side of the road, where friends gathered and none of us being 'Car Minded' had any idea what was truly wrong. We pushed her into the ditch and continued on our way... She often starts after she gets a little break, so leaving her was all we could do. Without digging into too much detail, i arrived back at the scene later that evening with my boss and we towed the pride-stricken bug home. It was a sad day. After a few weeks of waiting, we received the news she would never be the same again and needed a engine transplant. It was devastating. We still, as far as my knowledge goes, have not received a donor. If you know of anyone who has an engine or would like to donate {anything from a V8 to a Lawnmower engine} please call us at 1-800-SaveTheBUG. If you have not seen me and my blue bug zooming around Halsey or Junction City recently, its one of two things. The bug is not running anymore, or i am not around. Currently, both. Its with a heavy heart i lay to rest that precious car that so many of you have grown to love and adore as much as i.