Gary Vandepol
The scripture says that Jesus is the ultimate architect and is the cornerstone of the Christian faith. These scriptures provide a stable foundation to build a good life upon. As a builder and owner of a construction company, Gary Vanderpol knew that a good foundation was a key to success in life, construction and his faith were based on this premise. Gary was no stranger to hard work, following in the footsteps of his dad and granddad, he brought this strong ethic into his construction work.
In high school he met his wife Pat and was known to have taken her and a car full of girls to Elvis movies! They were married, and he took ownership of the construction company. The company grew and so did their family. It was this cornerstone of faith that was the foundation for their family and business.
Motorcycles and cars were something that had given him the thrill of speed. Soon after aviation was added to his list of passions, and he acquired his private pilot’s license.
Gary enjoyed driving heavy equipment, like his scraper and bulldozer, and it gave him hours of time for his imagination to develop plans for his next build. He was constantly thinking of plans to build wild rides and something that nobody had, to start a conversation. In 1964 he built his first motorcycle trike. From his imagination Gary fabricated pieces into reality. Additional construction projects gave Gary more time to imagine inventions that he would eventually build.
Gary was always up to giving rides.
Gary enjoyed going to shows, especially the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, to show off his creations. He enjoyed talking to people about how he built his wild rides. He also enjoyed giving rides and drag racing with the boys.
The business grew and so did their faith. Their son Tom shared his father’s love of flying and gained his pilot’s license. He used his license as a pilot to assist Mercy Wings in Guatemala, where he flew missionaries into the fields. The foundation of the family’s faith was strong, but was shaken when their son Tom, who was co-piloting a DC3 and trying to land, crashed in Guatemala. Tom and others were killed in the crash. This tragic event only strengthened the family’s faith and inspired them to set up the Tom VanderPol Memorial Fund to help others.
Gary loved helping with Sunday School in Lake Andes, South Dakota and enjoyed the laughter and always had a special place in his heart for children. Every chance that he could he wanted to “save people” by spreading the word of the gospel. Whether it was by a plane ride, a motorcycle ride or even a wild ride in a car, making sure that the people he loved and met had the assurance of salvation.
Gary was stricken with prostate cancer, and even up to the end when he was too weak, created a trac-driven wheelchair for himself. His imagination and love of creating didn’t cease. Gary passed away in November 2020 and his family has decided to sell his collection. Gary’s love for the missions continues with his family and the money from the auction will go to the mission fields through the Tom Vanderpol Memorial Fund.
The auction will be held on the family farm and will host the Motorcycle creations of Gary’s imagination along with collector cars, antique tractors, construction equipment, and rare WWII Airborne Crawlers to a Personnel Carrier. The auction take place May 14th and will start at 9:30am. There’s no small stuff, so be on time for this great collection. The auction will be live onsite with online bidding. There is everything from a 1959 Cadillac to an actual 1966 Dodge Coronet 426 HEMI project and a date coded 1966 426 HEMI in a wild Model T-Bucket drag car! One wild creation is a BMW Isetta drag car that was modeled after his grandson’s Hot Wheels he brought to life! There are many motorcycle trikes that are one-off builds like a 1959 and 1960 Cadillac Motorcycle and Trike. Many of the iconic parts from these cars were used in the builds, especially those iconic tailfins. The collection has antique tractors and vintage to modern construction equipment. Where else will you see 3 WWII Clark Airborne crawlers and a personnel carrier that his grandkids loved to play in?
So, plan to attend this auction or bid online for this wonderful collection, your bidding will further the Tom Vanderpol Memorial Fund and work for missions and building more foundations of faith for years to come. For complete inventory, video, and pictures go to www.vanderbrinkauctions.com.
Yvette VanDerBrink- the Salvageprincess
VanDerBrink Auctions, LLC
www.vanderbrinkauctions.com
If you like stories like these and other classic car features, check out Old Cars magazine. CLICK HERE to subscribe.
Have you ever wondered what your classic ride is worth? Old Cars has you covered with the Old Cars Report Price Guide. We are your source for unbiased and real-world pricing. Subscribe today and find out what your car is really worth! CLICK HERE to subscribe.
*As an Amazon Associate, Old Cars earns from qualifying purchases.