Select a name to move to the individual tribute.

Frank Lee Lagana, Sr.
1932 - 11/07/2020

Self-proclaimed as 'Frank the Crank', Frank Lagana was an active 50-year member of the Tidewater Region.  He participated in tours, shows, and other events driving a variety of antique vehicles, from his long-held 1950 Chevrolet, a 1954 Chevrolet, and more recently, his 1990 Ford Ranger XLT. 

Dick Pensyl
5/07/1937 - 10/02/2015

Dick Pensyl was a kind gentleman and a good friend to all, always ready to lend a helping hand. If there was a club project that needed detail or punctuality, if you gave it to Dick it would be done and done well. He also audited TRAACA’s books many years.  I remember stories he told me about the restoration of his 1929 Chevrolet Touring Car. The car needed much of its wood framing replaced and most people would have purchased a kit that was available, but not Dick. He was a woodworking craftsman and a stickler for detail. Replacing this wood was no task for him and it was done correctly and perfectly fitted. We all remember Dick’s Pontiac that he bought new, which still remains in the family and used by his son. Dick and Jan could be seen at many of the club’s activities and dinner meetings, and Dick would usually give our opening invocation.  We all loved Dick Pensyl and certainly miss him.

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William Tyler Brown
9/12/32 - 8/25/2015

A native of Portsmouth, Tyler attended Woodrow Wilson High and graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1957. Retiring after 33 years he began his second career as a real estate appraiser. In 2009 he started restoring his Grandfather’s 1958 Chevy BelAir which had been sitting outside for many years. After joining Virginia Chevy Lover’s he found out about TRAACA and became a member in 2010. He quickly got interested in the AACA judging system and enjoyed traveling to shows. Not willing to wait till the Chevy was finished he bought a 1963 T-Bird as a driver. Even though his health was failing he judged in our 2015 Spring National. We can only hope one of his three sons will complete their Great Grandfather’s Chevy.

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Vicky Peters
12/04/1947 - 12/28/2014

VICKY WRIGHTSON PETERS, 67, formerly of Virginia Beach, died peacefully Dec. 28 after a lengthy struggle with cancer. She was born in Milwaukee, Wis. Dec. 4, 1947 and grew up in Lyndhurst, Ohio. She graduated from Bowling Green State University in 1968 with a degree in Speech and Hearing Pathology and continued graduate studies in Special Education. She was a substitute teacher in the Virginia Beach City Public Schools for 27 years and retired to Florida with her husband in 2009. Vicky was a member of Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in Norfolk, a member of the Tidewater Region Antique Automobile Club of America, Gymstrada Parents Association, and a former youth soccer coach with Arrowhead Recreation Association.

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Linda L. Pavlidis
09/16/1944-08/17/2013

Linda Pavlidis was born in Blytheville, AR and grew up in Fort Atkinson, WI.  She married a young Navy sailor who started her love of antique cars.  Over the many years her and her husband Jack Pavlidis have owned many antique cars.  Linda served as the secretary of the TRAACA club for several years as well as meet chairperson for the 50^th Anniversary of TRAACA.  She loved touring, baking, and socializing with the members of the club.  God called her home on 08/17/2013 and she has been missed by her family and members of the club.

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Karen Louise Wilcox
01/19/1943 - 01/17/2013

Karen Louise Wilcox was born in Aurora, Nebraska 19 January 1943, and  graduated from the University of Nebraska College of Nursing in June 1965. Karen and Bill joined TRAACA in 1985 and purchased their 1941 Lincoln Continental Coupe in October of 1990, after Karen spotted it in the Car Corral at Hershey. After extensive restoration, they took the Lincoln to their first National AACA Meet in Kingsport Tennessee in 1994. Their 1932 Packard, Sophie, purchased in 1994 was shown at the 100th Anniversary Packard Gathering in Warren Ohio, in 1999. Severe psoriatic arthritis, first evident when she was 17, limited Karen’s activities in her later years. Karen especially enjoyed old car friends and loved touring in Sophie with her husband Bill. They attended many TRAACA dinner meetings, shows and tours. Karen suffered a cerebral hemorrhage and passed away January, 17, 2013.

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Donald Hobbs
12/24/1941-07/17/2012

A twenty-five year member of TRAACA, Donald Hobbs was a devoted hobbyist who served as a board member and membership chairman for many years.  He grew up in Norfolk, Virginia, and graduated from Maury High School.  He retired from civil service.  Don loved working on his antique cars (a 1940 Ford and a 1950 Ford), bowling, and NASCAR racing.  His wife Julia remains an active member of the club with her own car, a 1964-1/2 Mustang that she maintains herself.

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Merritt Horne
09/19/1928 - 11/19/2009

Merritt Horne was one of the first members of this region when it was chartered in 1955, and remained an active and enthusiastic ambassador for our hobby right up to the end. Visitors to our national events may remember him as the cheerful greeter with a straw hat and candy-striped sports coat. He was a regular attendee at events all around Virginia, usually driving there in the 1940 Packard 160 sedan that was his pride and joy for 40 years. We'll miss his warm smile, quick wit, and gentle humor, especially the silly stories that always began with the introduction "Picture this..."

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Ruth S. Talley
09/01/1945-01/18/2007

Ruth was born in Norfolk the fourth of five children. She attended Norview High school and enrolled in some classes at Old Dominion. She worked as a secretary for a Stock Brokerage firm until our first child was born. She married Kenneth Talley on February 26, 1966 and raised a son (Craig) and a daughter (Catherine). She enjoyed cooking, working in her flower beds and church work. She also enjoyed activities with the Tidewater Region and served on the call committee for a number of years.

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