Our tractor is a 1945 H farmall. It had set out in the field for seven years and had not been started or moved. It was september 2006 and my brother in law came to my husband and told him they should go and get it started so they could us it to bushog so we could have our family reunion.
My brother in law Herb could not help my husband Carey much because he had pancreatic cancer but he helped all he could. They removed the old gas (which had been in if for at least 7 years) Cleaned and adjusted and worked until they got it started. Then Carey used it to bushog the field where we were to have the family reunion.
Herb died on December the 17th 2006. This was the last tractor that my brother in law and my husband worked on together.
The spring of 2008 My sister in law decided that she would sell the tractors that Herb had (about 70 or more) because people were coming in and stealing the sheet metal off of them.
So we bought the H farmall and brought it home and Carey started working on it and getting it cleaned up. He would work on it and then let it set for a few days, it was a hard job for him.
Then one day he came in the house and asked me what I thought about painting the tractor pink. (we had a pink h pedal tractor with pedal for a cure on it and cancer ribbons) I told him I thought it would be good.
So the restoration begin. We used all the parts that we could and then found parts that we needed or ordered them. We keep it a secret from everybody we even went as far as taking it out of the county to have it painted.
The first time we brought the tractor out was in september 2008 the apple festival in casey county.We had only got it finished the week before. I drove it through the parade and I cried as I drove through town people were crying and clapping.
The nex week end we went to renfro valley. It was kind of a trip to be on. Carey was pulling the two big tractors a super c and the pink H. The H was in front of the super c. I was behind him pulling the pedal tractors 36 of them on a trailor. People were taking pictures of the pedal tractors. I would just set there and drive and watch them when they would pass me and then notice the pink tractor. They would slow back down and take pictures of it.
This tractor had brought us in contact with people that we would of probley never meet or talked to.
When we got to renfro valley I drove the pink H following my husband and we drove up and parked. And just as I shut the tractor off I looked over to my left and there stood a woman she raised her hat andher hair was just begining to grow back. I got off the tractor and when I got to her she hugged meand said thank you. Needless to say I was crying by this time.
I could go on and on about the people we have meet and talked with.
My dad stood beside the tractor that Christmas in 2008 and had his picture taken. We found out June the 4th 2010 that he had liver cancer. We lost him August the 31st.
So don't think we use this tractor to get attention for ourselves.
If this tractor makes you stop and say hay maybe I need to go have the test that I have been putting off. Then It has done its job.
We use the tractor for our relay team. We have people getting their picture taken on it all the time. So if you see us and want your picture taken on the pink H just come and ask.
Thank you for reading my story together we can make a diferance.
Karen Stafford
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