Special memories returned Dec. 19 as Marla Moss and daughters bid a bittersweet farewell to the slick family heirloom parked before them at Long McArthur Ford.

The 1957 Chevrolet Belair convertible had been part of the Moss family for 45 years. But as Christmas loomed, it was time for the classic antique to hit the road again to a new owner.

Out of love and necessity, Marla and her two daughters, Taely, 27, and Brylee, 18, agreed this past fall that the beautiful Belair — adorned in red and white paint with plenty of chrome — would be sold to the highest bidder. It was in honor of late husband and father, Todd Moss.

To the family’s surprise, the car sold by the national online auction firm bringatrailer.com for $57,575. The buyer’s name was not released.

“I never thought we would get that much,” Marla said.

The money will be used to buy Brylee a reliable vehicle and help with college tuition. She is set to graduate Salina South High School in May, and plans to enroll at Kansas State University this fall in Manhattan, to pursue a degree in elementary education.

Brylee is saving money for college through a job at Blushe Boutique in downtown Salina. She has won some scholarships and is hopeful to be a recipient of more.

The senior was thrilled to learn about auction proceeds, and the associated benefits, as a way to help her family.

“I wasn’t looking at it for me. I was looking at it for my mom and how it will help her out a lot more,” Brylee said.

In an Oct. 6 writing assignment for teacher Shana Pittenger’s English class at Salina South, Brylee wrote of the effects at home of her father’s death; so much was missing:

“I lost my dad, but I also lost his hugs, his laugh and his comfort. I lost my mother’s charming giggle as he made another joke at her expense …”

As she deals with the loss, Brylee wrote: “My big thought would be my next step after high school, college. I want to use my experience to help myself heal and feel the steady presence I once needed in my life,” adding that her father “would be proud of me taking the next step … I want to further my education for myself, but I also want to go to college for my mother. I want her to feel as if she led me in the right direction, and for her to be able to take a breath … My hope is to be half the person my father was, while carrying out my dreams at a respected college.”

Brylee’s essay quickly became another family treasure to be stored with so many heirlooms, Marla said.

“When I read it, I was in the parking lot to my driveway, and I just bawled,” she said.

The car was owned by the late Robert Moss — Taely and Brylee’s grandpa. It was passed to their father, the late Todd Moss, who was in charge of quality control in Long Mac’s detail department.

“The car had been in a lot of parades,” said Derek Lee, general manager at the Ford dealership

“People would call and ask if they could borrow it for weddings and proms. Todd sometimes drove for them,” Marla Moss said. “I never drove it, but I was a passenger when he wanted to take it out for a drive.”

He died Dec.14, 2021 at age 50, of complications from COVID 19. Todd had worked eight years at the dealership.

“It left a huge hole at Long McArthur,” Derek Lee said. “Todd was one of the most particular people I’ve ever met.”

Nicknamed “Moose,” Todd Moss was well known in Salina South for his athletic prowess.

“He was an outstanding football and basketball player,” said Darin Lee, Derek’s brother, and a car salesman at Long McArthur.

“I think Todd had a photographic memory,” Darin said.

Moss went on to play football at Garden City Community College and the University of Missouri, as a tight end on both teams, until injuries cut his career short.

At 6-foot-7, Todd Moss towered over Marla, who is 4-11. She grew up in Topeka and met him in 2001 through mutual friends. They dated three years and married Sept. 25, 2004.

They settled in Salina. The family was, and still is, big in sports. Todd helped coach Salvation Army football, even though he didn’t have a child on a team, and also coached both daughters’ softball teams.

“He was like a big Teddy Bear, and would do anything for anybody,” Marla said. “He always put the girls and I first.”

After Todd’s passing, Derek Lee graciously stored the Belair at Long McArthur.

A couple of months before Brylee started her senior year, Marla came to the conclusion that the Belair should be used to help her youngest daughter.

“She needs a reliable car for school, and I needed to help with her education,” Marla said. “It was a hard decision, but we needed to do it for Brylee. We made the decision as a family.”

Long Mac ownership and technicians stepped up, and spent a couple of months “freshening the car mechanically and cosmetically again, to make it a really nice driver again,” Derek Lee said. “It was in very good shape overall, and certainly brought a premium. Having a national audience, with everyone knowing that 100 percent of the sale price went to the college fund, made a difference.”

Contributions from the company, employees, and ownership are a source of pride, Derek Lee said.

“This is a great example of (co-owners) West and North McArthur treating employees like family and continuing to take care of employees’ families even after they pass,” he said.

Selling the car was the right decision, Marla Moss said, but there were some second thoughts.

“I know Todd would be happy. I am too, but it’s also sad for me,” she said. “I feel like we’re losing another part of him. It was a hard decision.”

 

_ _ _

Story and photos via Tim Unruh