JAMESTOWN, Mo. -- A special delivery was made at the Jamestown Christmas parade.
Surrounded by family, Jon Imhoff drove his newly-restored 1945 Ford pickup on Saturday in the annual parade. Although the truck has been in his family for decades, there were a couple other reasons the truck stood out this year.
Imhoff said the truck was manufactured during World War II, when civilian vehicle production was limited for the war effort. The truck also started out life as a mail truck for the California post office.
Hugh "Toots" Williamson, who owned a service station in Prairie Home, purchased the truck after it was retired by the post office.
Imhoff said his late uncle, Tommy Green, always dreamed of purchasing it from Williamson. His dream would later become reality when Williamson died in the "late '80s or early '90s."
"When Hugh died, Tommy went to Iola May and told (her) when she was ready to sell it he wanted to buy it," said Suzy Green, Tommy's wife. "So we bought it and it just was in our garage."
After Tommy Green himself died in November 2018, the truck changed hands again.
"When (Tommy) passed away, the family was thinking about selling it and I wanted to keep it in the family, so we bought it," Imhoff said. "The truck hadn't run in about 30 years, and so we've done a lot of work to rebuild the engine and everything."
Imhoff enlisted the help of Creason Automotive, of Troy, to restore the truck mechanically. While the exterior of the vehicle looks much like it did when Tommy Green purchased it from Williamson, the engine, transmission and rear end have all been restored. It took "about a year" for the work to be completed before the truck was returned to Imhoff in August.
Suzy and Tommy Green's son, Jim Green, was one of many family members present Saturday to see the truck roll through Jamestown on Missouri 179.
"My dad just wanted to keep it in the family, and Jon was nice enough to buy it and get it fixed up," he said. "(We're) going to make some really good memories."
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Jamestown welcomes holiday season with parade
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — Details of the previous owner of Jon Imhoff's 1945 Ford pickup truck are still seen Saturday before the Christmas parade in Jamestown. The truck was previously owned by Hugh "Toots" Williamson, who owned a service station in Prairie Home. Williamson purchased the truck from the California post office after it was retired. Imhoff's uncle, Tommy Green, purchased the truck after Williamson died in the "late '80s or early '90s." Imhoff recently restored the truck mechanically, leaving the original exterior untouched.
Democrat photo/Garrett Fuller — Jon Imhoff's 1945 Ford pickup truck is seen Saturday (Dec. 10, 2022,) prior to the Jamestown Christmas parade. The truck was built during World War II, when civilian vehicle production was limited due to the war effort. It was originally used as a mail truck by the California post office before being sold to Hugh "Toots" Williamson, who owned a service station in Prairie Home. After Williamson died in the "late '80s or early '90s," Tommy Green purchased the truck. Imhoff purchased the truck after his uncle died in November 2018. Suzy Green, Tommy's wife and Imhoff's aunt, is pictured seated inside the truck.