By BARBARA GREEN
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Sam Schaffer has had a passion for the Ford Bronco since he was a teenager, especially the original 1966 model, which he says “has style and character.”
He has owned several during his 63 years, but an original 1966 model he could restore remained elusive until four or five years ago when his wife, Leilani, heard about one on Trade Fair. The white Bronco was not running then and its interior is a little worse for wear, but the exterior doesn’t look bad for its age with no major rusty holes.
The path to getting this vehicle back up and running was supposed to be a “retirement project” with his daughter Jeileigh, a junior at Bowie High School. Sam saw them working on the engine together, picking out the interior and eventually painting it the perfect color of blue; however, life often has other plans. The road diverged as the new retiree was diagnosed with Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, known as ALS and often called Lou Gehrig’s disease.
This devastating disease has no cure and its exact cause is unknown as it attacks each of its victims differently. It is a neuro-motor disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, that cause the person to lose muscle control.

Read the full feature in the weekend Bowie News.

Top photo – Sam Schaffer with Billy Shoefstall, senior technician at Kory Hooks inside the Bronco after it was turned on at the reveal for Sam. (Courtesy photos)