Cruise control: Kruger takes on life full throttle

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

After surviving cancer, Bill Kruger decided to squeeze a lifelong dream into reality.

"I've always wanted a muscle car," Kruger said.

The Clearwater resident's sweet indulgence: a yellow 1964 Chevrolet Malibu.

Sometimes, though, life turns sour.

Last August, Kruger was diagnosed with cancer. Surgery followed on Sept. 11.

"What a day," he said. "There was just a dinky, dinky spot on my liver."

Kruger asked the surgeon if he needed surgery for such a small spot.

The doctor replied, "If you were my dad, I would insist."

That singular sentence caught Kruger's attention.

"Better do it," he said.

Six months of chemotherapy ensued.

When life gives you a second chance, you chase your dreams.

Once Kruger completed the majority of chemotherapy treatments, he made an announcement to Jeanette Bearinger.

"I'm going to buy a boy toy."

Kruger's top choice was a '57 Chevy.

"They're too expensive."

So, he went with his second choice. Kruger peruses car magazines and spotted a Malibu for sale in Sioux City. On a rainy day, he told Bearinger they should make the trek to Iowa to check out the vehicle.

She suggested they see if it was still available before making the trip and, after conducting an online search, could not find the car.

More lemons.

"It must have not been meant to be," Kruger remembers telling Bearinger.

She continued to search for Kruger's dream car and found a Malibu for sale in Michigan.

When Kruger saw the online listing, and viewed photos of the interior, he told Bearinger, "That's the car. It's absolutely beautiful."

The next day, Kruger and Bearinger's son, Kevin, were headed to the Great Lake State.

When they arrived at the Chevrolet dealership in Bridgeman, Kruger asked the owner why he decided to part with the classic.

"I don't know," he told Kruger. "I almost called you and told you to stay home."

"That would not have worked," Kruger replied.

Originally, the car was painted blue. The second owner changed everything to yellow. He traded it to a Ford dealership.

"The Ford guy was talking to the Chevy guy at coffee one morning and said, "I got a Chevy in the other day. Would you take the damn thing off my hands?"

Trade made.

At some point, the engine blew and was replaced with a 402. The front end was lowered, which caused tires to rub on the fender wells. Since 2006, the Malibu sat in the Michigan showroom, waiting for a new home.

Kruger asked the owner for in transit documents for the vehicle.

The Michigan man asked, "You're going to drive it?"

"Heck, yeah," Kruger replied.

Kruger and Bearinger loaded the vehicle on a flatbed trailer and headed west.

Driving down the interstate, another car pulled next to the pair, honking and waving at them.

"He gave us a thumbs up," Kruger laughed.

On the road to recovery, Kruger decided the Malibu would be a vehicle to provide fun.

An aunt told him he had worked his entire life.

"She told me it's about time I did (have fun) and that's what we're going to do," he said.

Kruger saw a listing of car shows and cruise nights in a regional newspaper. Their summer calendar quickly filled up.

On May 15, Kruger receive the first-place people's choice award at an event in Spencer. He and Bearinger cruised Main during Ewing's FunFest activities and parade, then traveled to Naper and Elgin for more fun.

They have plans to attend more shows throughout the summer.

Jeanette said the decision to purchase the car came as a surprise.

"Bill doesn't like to do anything spontaneous," she said.

"Ask my daughters," he laughed. "I could not convince them I was going to get a car."

Kruger countered, for a long time, he had been toying with the idea to buy a classic car.

"I bumped into this and didn't want it to get away."

Sweet.