1991 Ford Ranger, a Truck (love) Story

Previously published in a special wedding edition of the Cleaver on November 11, 2023  as a wedding keepsake from the wedding of  Barry Henry and Angela Kellogg-Henry. Angela is editor and publisher of the Clare County Cleaver. Barry is a foreman for Roese Pipeline and he works in a gas distribution all over Michigan. Barry and Angela married after 15 years together and live in Clare County, Michigan with their four children.

In 1993 Barry bought a 1991 Ford Ranger from North Country Ford in Clare. Barry and Angela even went on a date when they were friends in the Ranger.

Barry’s green Ranger was well known in town as it was one of the first trucks in the area with a lift. It had a 4-inch suspension lift and 3-inch body lift for a total lift of 7 inches.

Barry sold the truck in 1999 when his first wife was pregnant with Barry III. He sold it in Lake City so he wouldn’t have to see the truck locally. He purchased a practical family car, a Ford Taurus.

Airport Auto, a local car dealer bought the truck, and it was sold to someone who lived right down the road from Barry. A year later it was purchased by a man named Chris that worked at North Country Ford in 1993 when Barry bought it. In 1993, Barry worked at Clare Auto Parts.

When Chris bought the truck, he worked at Clare Auto Parts, and he still does to this day.

Ever since Barry and Angela have been together, they would drive by Chris’ house in Clare if they were in the area. Occasionally they would stop and say hello and chat about the truck. Chris agreed wherever he went in the green Ranger everyone remarked how it used to be “Barry Henry’s truck.”

They rarely drove through Clare without making a circle around the road Chris lived on to see if the Ranger was out or they could see it in the garage.

One October day in 2021 they did the loop and Chris was outside doing yard work. Barry didn’t want to disturb him but Liam, then 12 years old, wanted to see the truck which was parked in the driveway.

Barry and Chris got to talking and for the first time ever Chris offered to sell it.

“I guess if I was going to sell it, I’d sell it to you and I’d take X” Said Chris.

Barry barely registered what he said but Angela heard it loud and clear and went to the car to count how much money she had at the time.

Barry let Chris know they’d be back over the following weekend, and they shook hands. Angela gave him $500 in good faith to purchase the truck.

It was a long week. Barry wondered if Chris would change his mind. Chris never wanted to sell the truck before, but Angela was reassured that he shook hands on the deal and Chris seemed like a man of his word. Barry wouldn’t answer his phone all week in case it was Chris telling him the deal was off.

Chris was working on other car projects and felt it was time to sell the truck. While he was reluctant to sell it, he felt better about selling it back to Barry.

The next weekend Barry, Liam and their good friend Scott Darling went and picked the truck up. It was running but with a transmission slip they trailered it home.

Barry plans to change the motor and transmission, reapply the original graphics and many other improvements.

Angela and Liam  submitted the Ranger project for rebuilding to the television show Garage Squad but never received a call. It would be Barry's dream to see it come together.

Today the Ranger is parked in Barry’s garage with the motor out. It sits awaiting the day there are no ski passes to buy, bills to pay, boys to feed, and Barry has the time to work on it. Or until that call comes from Garage Squad!

 © Clare County Cleaver