When Sam Brownlee met his tragic end while serving as an officer, his 19-year-old son, Tanner Brownlee, was left with a deep desire to hold on to any tangible remnants of his beloved father’s presence. Among the few possessions passed down to him, there was his dad’s motorcycle jacket, a cherished but oversized keepsake. Tanner yearned for something more personal, something he could use and cherish every day.
Tanner Brownlee raised money to buy his father’s Dodge Charger when it was sold as a charity project. (Photo credit: screenshot) Shortly thereafter, Tanner was informed that his father’s surveillance vehicle would be auctioned off to raise money for charity. The Dodge Charger was assessed at $12,500. So, he raised enough money to ensure he could afford reasonable expenses. Regrettably, he quickly realizes that he shares his longing for his father’s vintage patrol car with others.
On the day of the charity event, the auctioneer began accepting bids. As Tanner was able to keep up with the crowd, they immediately approached and immediately exceeded his bid. In fact, the final bid was over $60,000, well beyond what the teen could afford. Sadness covered Tanner’s face as he accepted the fact that he had lost the last remnants of his father’s memory. His mother and younger brother tried to comfort him, but it was a futile effort. Just then a stranger approached him in a way he could not refuse.
As soon as the man who won the car with more than $60,000 walked away for a giveaway, Tanner Brownlee was shocked. (Photo Credit: Screenshot) Winning participant Steve Wells made a move to accept his prize as the fallen officer’s family looked on in despair. Then, to their surprise, he went straight to Tanner and held out his hand to hand him the keys. “Tanner, here’s your car,” Wells said. The teen shockingly refuses the keys to his late father’s valuable estate. As the scene washed over him, Tanner hung his head and cried, before stopping to hug the man who gifted him his father’s car “I don’t know the details, but it’s emotional for me,” Tanner said later.
Tanner explained that he met Wells in the parking lot before the sale, and had a brief conversation with him about his plans to get his father’s patrol car back and that’s when Wells came up with a plan to help Tanner with it for the charity, KMGH reported. “He was telling me he was going to buy a car for the women’s shelter, and then when his son told me the story, he was like after that, I’m just buying him a car,” Tanner said. “For Steve Wells to spend that money on someone he didn’t even know, on a child, a 19-year-old at the time, to do that is just appalling.”
Since then, Tanner’s story has gone viral, garnering millions of views. While she’s grateful for the heartwarming support she’s received from people across the globe, all she truly desires is to cherish the brief moments she shared with her father and find solace in peaceful reflection. “I’ll go places and people will be like, ‘Hey, Tanner.’” “It’s weird that a bunch of people know my face and things like that,” he said. When he got his father’s car, Tanner Brownlee took special care of the car and refused to drive it out of the country. He plans to one day pass the car on to his children and about his father’s estate.
Tanner Brownlee is grateful to have a piece of his father’s memory and one day plans to pass the car on to his children. (Photo Credit: Screenshot) Steve Wells donated more than just a car that day. He returned a piece of their lost loved one to the grieving family. Tanner will forever be grateful to Wells for restoring his father’s patrol car so he could feel close to his father.