COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A simple Facebook photo turned into something far more meaningful for an Oakland County family — a chance to bring home a piece of someone they lost.
Aaron Jeneary, of Commerce Township, posted an old photo of a 1978 Pontiac Trans Am in a Facebook group last month, hoping to find a similar car to buy. His father, Mike Jeneary, had owned the car before selling it years earlier. What Aaron didn’t expect was to find the actual car — still out there, seemingly frozen in time, now owned by a man in Massachusetts.
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“Boom. There it is. I can not believe it,” Aaron said.
Spotting the car
The crack in the front spoiler gave it away. Aaron compared his old photo of the car with the one posted online and noticed an unmistakable detail.
“I look at my photo and I look at his and the front spoiler has the same crack shape as mine does… Is this my car?” he said.
Mike Jeneary passed away in March after a nine-year battle with cancer and Aaron posted the photo a month after.
The Massachusetts owner wasn’t planning to sell to just anyone. But once he heard Aaron’s story, his mind changed.
“He wasn’t going to sell it to the general public, but once I found it he was like okay, I’m only going to sell this to you,” Aaron said.
A Father’s Day road trip
On Father’s Day, Aaron and his two grandfathers hit the road — headed east, not just to retrieve a car, but to reclaim a piece of family history. Along the way, they’ll swap old stories, share laughs and relive memories tied to the man they’re both making the trip for.
Aaron says he has little doubt about who made all of this happen.
“This was him. And the fact that I get to take my grandfathers on Father’s Day to do this was perfect,” he said.
He says sliding behind the wheel of that Trans Am will feel like his dad is right there beside him.
The family expects to return to Michigan with the car this upcoming week. Stay with us for photos and the full story when they get back.