Mercury's New Address: Panama!

My mother, Diane, was an automobile enthusiast.

She loved cars, especially her last one. Here's a shot of the beloved 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis LS that she inherited from her dad.

As mom entered her late 80s and early 90s, no one could talk her into purchasing a smaller, more reliable car. Wasn't going to happen, ever. End of argument.

Some of us were worried that the doors or wheels on that Mercury might just fall off without warning. It had close to 100,000 miles on it and various issues were popping up...like a rear window that didn’t close properly. A fact that was discovered while inside a car wash. Didn't bother mom a bit.

Until the end of her life, Diane never stopped saying: “I love that car; it runs just fine. The mechanic says he’s never seen anything like it in his life. I'm never getting rid of it.”

When mom was a passenger in my car, she often noticed other cars on the road saying: “What kind of car is that? That sure is a nice car. How much does one of those cost?” She simply loved admiring and riding in all sorts of cars.

But all that curiousity and admiration didn't mean she wanted to trade in the beloved Mercury.

Guess where it is now?

Panama, South America!

Yep. No kidding. Diane's favorite car in the world is now living its best life in warm, tropical Panama! And I mean best life. It has been born again in Panama with one heck of an overhaul.

Meet the man responsible for the Mercury's rebirth, Ernesto:

Friends are better from around the world — Parent's memorial with Ernesto

Ernesto worked for my parents. He was a good friend to both of them and he gave a moving eulogy at their memorial when he attributed starting his own business to mom’s encouragement. But his most touching anecdote was when he told a story about mom inviting him and his mother to lunch at their house. Beautiful!

There are no words to describe how proud and happy Diane would be knowing that Ernesto restored her late father's old car to good as new.