This is the kind of story that warms hearts. On the other hand, we cannot deny that driving or riding in a Corvette is a thrilling experience. And a thrilling ride is exactly what Joan Jones, a 79-year-old woman from Girard, Illinois, who is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s disease, experienced last week thanks to the generosity of Freedom Chevrolet.

Brenda Samonds, Joan’s daughter, spoke to Dave Bakke of The State Journal-Register to describe the only thing that livens up Joan’s day, a Silver Corvette! As Brenda stated, “She takes her mom for drives in the country because Joan seems to like that.” However, it is not until they ride back to Girard that Joan suddenly livens up at the sight of a Silver Corvette parked outside Freedom Chevrolet.

Brenda stated that when her mom sees that car she always exclaims, “Boy, that’s a neat car. I’d sure like to drive that!”

One day Brenda pulled into the lot at Freedom Chevrolet where she met sales associate Bryan LaMarr. Brenda had a special request, to give her mother a ride in that Corvette. LaMarr immediately related to the story as his father also suffered from the devastating disease before passing. Needless to say, LaMarr spoke to his manager and told Brenda to go get her mom.

Joan’s excitement was evident when they arrived at the dealer lot and she was told she was going for a ride in her favorite shiny car. Brenda stated, “Bryan helped me get her in the car and showed me how the car works. Mom loved the thrill of the ride and the sound of the engine.”

In her interview with Dave Bakke, Brenda also stated, “Every time we took off from a stop sign, that Corvette engine would roar and Joan would smile. To LaMarr, the gratitude in Joan’s eyes was all that mattered.

As Brenda stated in her interview, “Joan’s short-term memory is gone. It is likely she will have no recollection of that Corvette ride. We live for the moment, but this had an impact,” and it had an impact on Brenda as well. She mentioned, “I was so focused on mom enjoying the moment, it was much later that it dawned on me, I drove a $62,000 car!”

So there you have it folks. The looks, the power, the roaring engine, and in the end just pure Corvette heart!