Growing up in a no-nonsense family, a fun car was not an option. I always loved the artistic nature of cars but, as a female, I wasn’t permitted in the garage. That was man territory. It wasn’t until college hat I bought my first “toy,” a 1971 VW Bug. What silliness! My family didn’t understand. After marrying a man who grew up in a similar family, we did the unthinkable. Steve Gardner and I bought a two-wheel drive, lowered truck. “That thing’s useless” we heard. Useless or not, it was the spark we needed to get involved in the car culture. As the Louisiana state representatives for the American Sport Truck Association, we attended many car shows and made lots of car fiends. However, it wasn’t until I bought my 2005 Mustang that our world totally changed.
I entered it in local car shows alongside our useless truck. We took it to the Carlisle Ford Nationals in Pennsylvania. The friendships we made with other Mustang owners were unlike any others. We called each other “Framily.” Soon the Mustang bug bit my husband, and he joined the Red Mustang Registry with his 2007 GT. A trip to a road known as the Tail of the Dragon woke part of our souls that was lying dormant. We felt so alive tearing through the curves. Steve and I were both hooked. Not being a fan of heat or humidity, I bucked when Steve suggested we go to Mustang Week in Myrtle Beach in the heat of July. But that’s where I fell in love with one of the two Mustang Week editions built that year. After three passengers received neck injuries, the car earned the name “Whiplash.”
By this time, Steve and I had grown out of our four-car garage. We built our dream home, complete with an attached garage, a detached 2-story 4-stall garage and an automotive shop. Our Mustang Manor was born. Many of our Mustang friends used our shop to repair or modify their cars. We hosted detailing events, bringing in the country’s best ceramic coater. We hosted many Mustang cruises. Our big event was The Committed Cruise, a three-day weekend every Father’s Day. We cruised to different locations within West Virginia each year, always ending at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum for a big car show and tours of the haunted asylum. Our Mustang “Framily” continued to grow.
A couple years later, “Vanilla Ice,” a white Fox Body convertible, joined the stable. Steve was always teased with the song “Ice Ice Baby” when we went to car events, so we just went with it on the car.
In 2017, just before we ran the roads of the Gatlinburg, Tennessee, area for five days, Steve saw his doctor for a bruise that would not go away on his chest. The diagnoses would shock all who knew him. It was breast cancer. Yes, a man with breast cancer. We had no idea it was even possible. Immediately our Mustang Framily spung into action. As Steve started chemotherapy, Mustang friends across the country sent small stuffed animals to take with him to his treatments. The “support crew” went to every doctor appointment, chemotherapy infusion and surgery. Local Mustang friends started mowing the lawn and maintaining Mustang Manor. We refused to let Steve’s cancer diagnosis keep us down. We continued to go to Mustang Week, Ponies in the Smokies, Mustang Memories, SEMA, and many other automotive events. It was a struggle but, thanks to assistance from our Mustang Framily, we continued to make memories.
In 2023, despite years of surgeries and many different types of chemotherapy, Steve’s cancer was progressing at a rapid rate. He was in and out of the hospital for months. While he was housed in a medical rehabilitation facility, unbeknownst to us, our Mustang Framily was back in action. A fundraising event had started. Mustang friends and colleagues paid a fee to have rocks painted pink and blue, the color of the male breast cancer ribbon. Then, like Publisher’s Clearing House, they came and knocked on the door, totally surprising me with the Steve Strong rock garden in our front landscaping. A go-fund-me was set up to try to offset the mountain of medical and other bills that were accrued.
Steve’s battle with cancer ended February 6, 2024. He left this world surrounded by those who loved him most. But that’s not the end of his story. In May 2024, his life was celebrated by all who knew him in the car culture. The most beautiful urn ever created was painted with his cars on the front and the back. Car lovers from all over came to join in on Steve’s final cruise. The funeral was different. No suits. Lots of Mustang T-shirts. Even the evangelist who proceeded over the funeral wore his Shelby shirt. “Ice Ice Baby” was played during the funeral. The funeral procession, led by a limousine with the Air Force logo on the side, was full of over 60 Mustangs and other fun cars. Steve’s final car cruise was covered by the local news, ending at the National Cemetery for full military rights.
In June 2024, Red Mustang Registry donated their tent space at Carlise Ford Nationals to use to spread awareness about male breast cancer and keep Steve’s memory alive. Our Mustang Framily decorated the tent pink and blue with male breast cancer ribbons and banners. Pamphlets and rubber Steve Strong bracelets were given out to anyone who stopped by. Steve’s car was on display, along with photos of his Mustang memories.
In July 2024, his Mustang Framily gathered again at the Gale Halderman Museum in Tipp City, Ohio, to celebrate his life and love of Mustangs. Guest speakers included John Clor, Jimmy Dinsmore and James Halderman. Countless baskets were raffled off. Awards were given. Awareness was spread about male breast cancer. But most importantly, Steve’s Framily came together yet again to remember him and make more memories.
Steve and I had a dream, to have a Mustang wrapped in a design that includes the male breast cancer ribbon. We wanted to use it to take to car events to raise awareness about men getting breast cancer. Because we were too busy paying for medical bills, that dream never came true before he passed. However, after his passing I acquired a 2022 Mischievous Purple Mustang Mach 1 and had special plans for it.
I worked with a local artist to design a wrap which included a pink ribbon flowing back into blue. I say the breast cancer ribbon should be pink AND blue because men get breast cancer, too. The side of the ribbon reads “Male Breast Cancer Awareness.” The tail end has the same ribbon, wrapping around a photo of Steve. The hood sports my rally number, 726. Around the rally number it says, “One in 726 men have a lifetime risk of developing breast cancer.”
The car made its debut at The Hard Rock Café at Ponies in the Smokies 2025. It was displayed with the Velgen booth at PITS. It has been to the Carlisle Ford Nationals and many other car events, spreading awareness to men that they, too, can get breast cancer. This fall it will make its way over to the Halderman Barn in Tipp City for a special Mustangs at the Museum show. Meanwhile, the car is driven, almost daily, doing its job to spread its message to men and women everywhere it goes.
I can’t thank my Mustang “Framily” enough for all they have done to change our lives. I’m still amazed at how a life can be changed for the better, just because of the passion people have for a particular car that they buy. Thanks, Mustang!
PHOTOS COURTESY THE HALDERMAN MUSEUM and MENDI GARDNER
