Siloam Proud

Siloam Proud Wednesday, June 23, 2021 n 3C Siloam Springs Herald-Leader gates.com GATES IS THERE WITH THE RIGHT PRODUCT, IN THE RIGHT PLACE, AT THE RIGHT TIME. DRIVEN BY POSSIBILITY. Shelley Putman Tim Davis Carla Wagner Danny Wasson Lucy Wasson Karen Andrews Janice Low Steve Low 441 Hwy. 412 W | Siloam Springs | 479-524-5131 www.wassonfuneralhome.com Serving Northwest Arkansas and Northeastern Oklahoma since 1928 Continuous Ownership and Operation by the Wasson Family for over 90 years! Janelle Jessen/Herald-Leader Soucie designed and fabricated the bumper for his truck to not only look like a wrench but function as a step into the truck bed. Photo submitted Walter Soucie's 1948 Dodge truck won Strawberry Queen's Choice at the Stilwell, Okla., Strawberry Festival in May. "It shows me how far I've come from what I used to do," he said. Soucie went on to drive the truck through his adult years, putting it in storage when his fam - ily decided to move from Maine to Arkansas in 2009. Heartbreak A friend was planning a visit to the Soucie family in Arkansas shortly after they moved and offered to haul the truck down to their new home, but when he went to pick it up from storage it was gone. Walter Soucie worked with local police and his network of friends to find and recover the stolen truck, but by then it had been stripped and trashed. When it was found, the motor and transmission, wheels, bumper, running board and even the truck bed were missing, Walter Sou - cie said. A folder that was inside the truck, with photos of it throughout the years and notes of all the work that had been done to it also disappeared. Even though many of the parts were recovered, Walter Soucie was ready to give up on the truck, but his wife Cressa Soucie wouldn't let him. "I'm glad she talked me into bringing it back," he said. Rebuilding again In 2014, Walter Soucie brought his truck home to Arkansas, but progress was slow because his fam- ily came first and he had other priorities. Then his daughter, Kaila Soucie, surprised him by enter- ing the truck in the 2020 Darrell Starbird car show. Walter and Cressa Soucie worked late into the night for a week to get the truck ready for the show. Through the years, Walter Soucie has done all the work on the truck himself, down to cutting glass for the windshield and gauges, adding cus - tom touches as he went. The truck now has a 350 Chevy motor and an automatic transmission, although he made it look like a stick shift, with the old shifter functioning as a gear selector. He also fabricated a wrench- shaped bumper with the words "Walter's 1948," that doubles as a step into the truck bed. Walter Soucie found running boards from a 1960s era Dodge at Osbourn's Automotive, across the street, and cut them down to fit the pickup. The truck's origi - nal heater still works and he added an aftermarket air conditioner he found at a swap meet. The truck even has custom work under the hood, where Cressa Sou - cie painted a vacuum can that powers the wind- shield wipers to look like a still and added a coolant reservoir overflow tank with the same theme. Part of the family Cressa Soucie noted with a laugh that Walter Soucie has had the truck even longer than the 35 years he has been married to her. "He enjoys that truck and I'm so proud when I'm riding with him be - cause when I look at him I see how happy he is," Cressa Soucie said. "He has worked on it forever, he has put our family first and put the truck on the back burner all the time." The couple's kids love riding in the truck and Cressa Soucie enjoys picking up their son from school every day. They also love the joy that others seem to get from the truck. Unlike many antique vehicles, Walter Soucie doesn't mind if people touch or even climb on his truck to take photos. He's fixed it before, and if there are any dents or scratches, he knows he can easily fix it again. "That's what it's all about, people getting a little enjoyment out of it," Walter Soucie said. SOUCIE Continued from Page 1C Photo submitted Soucie's truck was named one of 12 judges favorites at the Darryl Starbird Annual Car Show in Tulsa, Okla., in May.

• Cover