Our 28 Year Jeep Story - A Family Legacy

More Than Just a Vehicle

This story isn’t just about a vehicle - it’s about the quiet start of a life being built together. Twenty-eight years ago, long before weddings, babies, moves, and milestones, The Jeep arrived as a bold, intentional promise.

At the time, I was finishing my last semester of college, driving a battered Dodge Colt with no AC, no heat, and no radio - but plenty of character. It wasn’t pretty, but it faithfully got me where I needed to go. Until one fall morning during my second week of student teaching, that worn-out car died on the way to school. I called Robbie for help, finished my long day teaching English at Salem High School, and caught a ride back to his house with another teacher. As evening settled in and Robbie still wasn’t home, worry crept in.

Then the phone rang.

“Happy Graduation,” he said.

Confused, I asked what he meant.

“Come outside,” he told me. "Happy Graduation."

There in the driveway sat a brand new 1997 Jeep Grand Cherokee - a gift celebrating a hard-earned degree and a gentle promise that our lives were moving forward together. Neither of us could have known what that Jeep would grow to mean.

Nearly Three Decades of Family Life

Fast forward 28 years.

The Jeep carried home newborn babies. It drove restless kids to school and practices (sometimes with teens ducking below the window in embarrassment). It was the car that raced Robbie’s dad to the ER one frightening afternoon. It was there through first jobs, first heartbreaks, and the shaky beginnings of teaching teenagers to drive.

More than anything, The Jeep became a symbol - a reminder that you don’t replace things just because they’re old or because you can. You take care of what you have. You live modestly. You practice gratitude.

Our friends at Cofer Auto in Smithfield, VA kept her going far beyond what any mechanic probably expected. She was no longer shiny or fancy, but she was dependable.

Brady proudly takes the wheel of The Jeep as she learns to drive, with a supportive coach by her side.

Loyalty That Wouldn’t Quit

Over the years, everyone - family, friends, mechanics gently encouraged Robbie to move on. Find something safer. Something newer. Something with… well, a ceiling liner.

“The Jeep is great. Starts right up. Runs perfectly,” he’d say. The bare-metal steering wheel, the drooping headliner, the faded paint - none of it mattered. The Jeep got him from point A to point B without fanfare.

Final Miles

On November 4, 2025 at 493,990 miles, The Jeep served our family one last time. Robbie saw a deer cross the I-64 median and knew he couldn’t avoid it. The impact was sudden, loud, and final. But The Jeep, tough to the end, kept him safe.

When Robbie called to share the news, both of us felt the sadness of losing something woven through so many years of life together. Meanwhile, family and friends… well, were relieved. The Jeep had been the source of collective worry for quite

some time.

The Jeep - officially retired with an impressive 493,990 miles on the odometer's final reading.

A Touchstone

It’s funny how an inanimate object can become a touchstone - a witness to milestones, seasons, heartbreaks, beginnings. The Jeep didn’t just take us from point A to point B. It took us through nearly three decades of life.

And now, with The Jeep’s journey complete, we can’t help but wonder:

“Where will the next ride take us?”