Father’s Memory Lives On Through Son’s Chevy K5 Blazer
Bought new in 1991 by his father, Dominick Dolio’s 1990 K5 Blazer is maintained to this day as a tribute to the memories made.
No matter how old or new a given Chevy truck or SUV is, there is one thing for certain: there will be memories made with it. From the joy of seeing your dream on the driveway or in the garage every day, to all of the trips and adventures beyond, every mile travelled is a new thread to the past, present, and future.
One man who understand this is Dominick Dolio of Chicago. Local independent station WGN-TV has his story, centered around a 1990 K5 Blazer, and the memories formed with its first owner, Dolio’s father.
“I remember getting in it when it was brand new, still had the window sticker on it,” said Dolio. “The salesman said, ‘Is this gonna be your first vehicle when you’re 16?’ I said, ‘Yes.'”
The K5 Blazer was purchased new from a local Chevy dealership when Dolio was six-years-old. From that point forward, he and his father bonded over the big SUV.
As Dolio says, he grew up in the K5 Blazer, recalling a time where he couldn’t reach the pedals without sitting on his father’s lap. But it wouldn’t be long before he could reach those pedals on his own.
“It’s never been restored. It’s just been maintained,” Dolio said. “And if something went out, and I didn’t know how to do it, I would figure it out.”
Dolio inherited the K5 Blazer in 2001, at the age of 16, just as the salesman believed would happen a decade before. The green color it wears now is not the original paint, its doors were pulled from an ’87 after an accident, it has a rear window crank from a ’77, and a rear end from an ’86.
“It just feels right, being in a relationship,” said Dolio. “You know how someone is going to react, how they’re gonna be there for you. And you know how they feel, too.”
Through it all, Dolio has kept the K5 Blazer on the road, though only on the nicer days these days, lest the snow and road salt eat it all away. He also slapped on a window sticker letting everyone know his memories aren’t for sale, lest anyone else asks. If anything, the SUV will remain in the family for a long time to come.
“It’ll be in my possession as long as I’m around,” Dolio said. “I’ve always been there for it. It’s always been there for me.”
Dolio’s father passed away in 2016, leaving the K5 Blazer as one of the only physical connections left to him. He adds that, should his child want the Chevy when they turn 16, he would have no problem passing it on down, continuing the road of memories began the day it was purchased all the way back in 1991.
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