Hospice Patient James Strange Rides in Style

James Strange put on dress shoes and shirt and then his tan sports jacket. The Crossroads Hospice patient was going for a jaunt in a restored 1936 Auburn cabriolet and he wanted to look as stylish as the vintage automobile he would soon be riding in.

“This is a quarter-of-a-million dollar automobile and I wanted to look the part,” James said.

Cherie Hambleton, a chaplain with Crossroads Hospice in Cincinnati, arranged the ride for James as part of the Crossroads Gift of a Day program.

James told Cherie, “I always loved automobiles. I always loved good machinery.” Born in 1924 in Knoxville, Tennessee, James recalled for Cherie the family’s first car, a Ford Model T.  The family graduated to a Model A, and James’ first car was 1944 Ford convertible.

A visit to the Auburn Cord Duesenberg Automobile Museum in Auburn, Indiana inspired James to ask for the ride in one of those three cars as his Gift of a Day.

With the help of the Auburn Cord Duesenberg club, Cherie found local member Bob Scholz, who was only too happy to help.

Bob said the club members are engaged in many charitable efforts. Additionally, he said, his mother-in-law recently went through hospice and “Our family was very impressed with the experience. It just makes a tough process so much easier.”

On a recent July morning, Bob, and his wife, Paula, rolled up to James’ house. The group was joined by James’ daughter, Candice Walkup and her two nephews, along with Cherie and Crossroads Hospice Social Worker Tania Smith.

There are fewer than 60 1936 Auburns in existence and James was about to take an excursion in one.

James stepped into the vintage automobile and he and Scholz drove through some of the neighborhoods of Cincinnati.

“It was beautiful. It was something we thoroughly enjoyed. I felt blessed that day,” said James. He had been taken for a ride and it was a good one.

The Gift of a Day program asks patients what their perfect day would be. Then staff and volunteers work to make it a reality. The process begins as soon as a patient is admitted into hospice care. It brings out the best in the community, with Crossroads staff, volunteers and area organizations coming together to create special hospice patient stories. The requests have been as varied as the patients Crossroads serves.

It was inspired by Jim Stovall’s novel, “The Ultimate Gift.” Blind from age 29 due to a degenerative eye condition, Stovall went on to become an International Humanitarian of the Year, a national Olympic weightlifting champion, Emmy-award winner, world-renowned author and speaker.

Find out more about the Ultimate Gifts program or call us at 888-564-3405.

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