Some cars just never leave one family, and that’s certainly the case with Ruby. Ruby is a 1966 Ford Falcon Sports Coupe, and it was purchased for $2,439.05 in October 1965 by Ruby and Ernest Cottle of Columbia, Mo. The Cottles are the grandparents of Carolyn Young of Lee’s Summit. Carolyn and her husband, Jerry, now own the car. They call it Ruby in honor of Carolyn’s grandmother who ordered the car specifically for herself.

 Ruby drove her Falcon for 25 years, and eventually parked it when her eyesight began to fail. It had about 55,000 miles. In 1991, she passed it to her daughter Dorothy and her son-in-law, Howard Baumgartner. The Baumgartners are Carolyn’s parents.

Three years ago, the Youngs brought Ruby home to Lee’s Summit. Ruby needed some minor mechanical work and new paint, so Jerry got busy. He was fascinated with cars in the 1960s, but the priorities of raising a family and being a teacher caused his interest to lie dormant. Ruby was like an alarm clock that awakened those pent-up desires. “All of a sudden, my car interest just came rolling out,” he said. His mailbox began to overflow with car magazines. He joined the Falcon Club of America and started going to car shows.

 Ruby is special because most Falcon Sport Coupes came with a V-8, and she has a six. Young had originally planned to do some minor fix-up work and drive her to work, but his perfectionism took over and he gave her the works. She got new paint, minor bodywork and a complete detailing of the engine compartment. The interior was in such good shape that he only had to clean it thoroughly. The one thing he changed was the wheels.

 Once Ruby was road ready, the Youngs drove her to the Falcon Club’s annual convention in Nashville, Tenn. She took second place in her class. Last year, they drove her to Dallas for the convention, and she won first place.

 The Falcon Club of America had its national convention this week at the Doubletree Hotel in Overland Park, and Ruby was once again on parade. While she’s been around for 38 years and has just over 62,000 miles, she looks as fresh as the day she rolled out of the factory in Kansas City. The modern wheels are a nice touch.

 Jerry and Carolyn Young said they were dating when her grandmother bought her Falcon, so they have always known it as a member of their family. They didn’t know at the time they would own her Falcon someday, but it is almost as if Dion were singing about them and this car when he crooned in the 1960s, “From the happy day that I met ya, I made a bet I was goin’ to get ya. Ruby, Ruby, Ruby, will you be mine?”

 Ruby the Falcon will always be a part of the Young’s family, and she couldn’t be in better hands.