Charlie Conway would have blushed and grinned if he’d seen the convoy that accompanied him to Sunset Memorial Gardens Friday, his wife says.
A line of classic cars made up the funeral procession that took Conway, the owner of C & J Auto Recyclers, to his burial site after his funeral Friday. He had either owned or refurbished each vehicle, his wife, Paula Conway, told The State Journal.
Charlie Conway, 57, died after he lost control of a motorcycle he was driving to a customer and hit a guardrail Monday on Old Lawrenceburg Road. He possibly ran over loose gravel or wet rock in the roadway, Paula Conway said.
The hearse that drove his coffin was actually a black 1955 Chevrolet Nomad panel truck that Charlie Conway bought in 1977 and later restored, Paula Conway said.
Other cars, driven by Charlie Conway’s friends and children, that made up the convoy include a 1955 two-door Chevrolet Bel Air, a 1968 Stingray Corvette, a 1970 Chevrolet Nova and a 1957 Chevrolet Bel Air.
The line of classic cars was a fitting tribute for Conway, known as “Jeep” for the recognizable 44-inch tires on his Jeep. People who knew Conway waved as the funeral procession passed.
“We loved it,” Paula Conway said. “It’s what we wanted.”
The convoy drove through Holmes Street, where Charlie Conway over the years had owned and operated three garages. He grew up nearby in Thorn Hill.
She said her husband would’ve been happy with the convoy.
“He embarrassed easy,” Conway said. “He was actually kind of shy unless he really got to know you, so if anything was said about something personal for him, he’d blush – just turn red and grin.
“That’s just the way he did it. We know he liked it.”
Comments