****Back story. My mom and dad were married in 1957 at the very young ages of 15 years old and 17 years old. Mom was pregnant at the time and Dad wanted to marry her. My dad is Hispanic, and my mom is Irish. Mom's sisters and brothers were very much against my parents getting married. But my grandparents weren't. Both my grandmothers went to the courthouse with my parents and signed the consent for them to get married. My parents were married for 66 years and had seven children. Mom passed away on April 2, 2023, and Dad is still alive at the time of this article writing which is March 2025. These are the stories of their life according to them. ******
The Nomad by SK Virtue according to Dad.
The 1957 Chevy Nomad was bought by my brother Stany for $125.00. It came through Whittier Buick, where Stany used to work. It was a lot of money to pay for a car, but Stany and I figured it would work pretty good for our growing family. It was a nice-looking station wagon. It was a two door and red with a white top. No dents or rust. And it ran good. And I figured it looked pretty good for a family car.
There was only one problem with the damn thing. When it rained and you ran through a mud puddle or water on the road, the spark plugs would get wet and if you weren't home then you were stranded until the damn things dried off. One time we went to the grocery store to get ice cream, and we were almost home when it started raining. Your mom yelled "Hit the gas Gons, we don't want to sit on the side of the road, the ice cream will melt!" At least the car was fast.
We took it to Butte when I went to work at the Anaconda Copper Mine. The brakes went out in the switchbacks, so we did a lot of coasting in low gear to get to Butte. We only had a jar full of pennies on that trip to put gas in it, but it got us there. Your mom didn't drive it much in Butte, because all the streets were pretty much hills. I don't know how I did it, but I drove those streets. I just hoped nobody was too close behind me when I had to stop and go!
When we moved back to Billings we moved out on a farm just outside of town. I got the brakes fixed so your mom could drive it. She only drove it on sunny days though. All you kids would go with her to the store. One day she and you kids went to the store, and I remember she brought me a pop and doughnut out to the field. As soon as she pulled up you kids were at the window yelling that your mom had backed into a cement pylon in the parking lot. Your mom was so mad because she had asked you kids to keep quiet and she would tell me. Of course, you all promised but you kids couldn't keep quiet. I laughed and laughed.
We had that Nomad for quite a while, but it was a two door, and we needed a four door. I think we got a four door Ford wagon. One day two guys drove up and asked if the Nomad was for sale. I figured I didn't need it anymore. I sold it to them for $250.00. I made a little money off it. I think they said they were taking it to California or something like that.
SK Virtue (as told by my dad)
6/3/25
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