Family Surprises 90-Year-Old Veteran by Restoring His 1965 Ford Pickup

The Indiana resident didn’t think he’d ever see his 1965 Ford pickup running again, but his son had other ideas.

For most of us, there’s nothing in life we love more than our Blue Oval pickups – except our families, that is. So it isn’t terribly uncommon to come across stories that combine both the love of a good family with a Ford truck. Still, the story of 90-year-old veteran Alvin “Bub” Lyon from Evansville, Indiana, and his 1965 Ford pickup hit us right in the feels when we came across it at 14 News recently.

Lyon has owned his beloved 1965 Ford pickup for many years now and used to use it to commute to work until it broke down. He simply got to the point where he had accepted the fact that he’d never see his beloved pickup run again, which is a truly sad situation. Luckily, Lyon’s family wasn’t going to let that happen and recently surprised him by restoring the truck to better than new condition.

Mark Lyon, Alvin’s son, was the mastermind behind this touching gift, though he admits it took a group effort to pull off. Once the pickup was ready to go, he had his dad accompany him to what he thought was actually a doctor’s appointment – little did the elder Lyon know what was really about to happen. And you can see the literal look of shock on his face when his old truck comes rolling in.

“I had no idea,” Lyon said of the surprise. “I thought I was coming over here to go with a doctor and get a report on his health, and I guess everybody knew it except me. I had no idea, I thought they had given up on the truck and they were going to talk about junking it, or doing something else with it.”

The touching gift was “worth every penny,” according to Lyon’s son, and judging by what we can see, that’s pretty obvious. But then again, we know just how strong the bond between a person and their Ford truck can be, and it’s one that can only be surpassed (sometimes) by the bond they have with their families.

Photos: 14 News

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Brett Foote

Brett Foote has been covering the automotive industry for over five years and is a longtime contributor to Internet Brands’ Auto Group sites, including Chevrolet Forum, Rennlist, and Ford Truck Enthusiasts, among other popular sites.

He has been an automotive enthusiast since the day he came into this world and rode home from the hospital in a first-gen Mustang, and he's been wrenching on them nearly as long.

In addition to his expertise writing about cars, trucks, motorcycles, and every other type of automobile, Brett had spent several years running parts for local auto dealerships.

You can follow along with his builds and various automotive shenanigans on Instagram: @bfoote.