Sask. man reunites grandma with treasured 1979 Chevy Silverado

A Prince Albert man has gone the distance to deliver a birthday present to his grandmother.

Andrew Chornomitz drove down to the town of Esterhazy and surprised her with an old truck loaded with precious memories — something he'd been meaning to do for years.

“That has been a dream since high school to be honest,” Andrew told CTV News.

Andrew’s grandparents bought the 1979 Chevrolet Silverado from a car dealer in Yorkton 45 years ago. The couple would use it for special occasions.

“It was more than just a grocery getter. It was to go to weddings, little camping trips,” he said.

The truck sat dormant after Andrew’s grandfather died in 1992 until his father brought the truck to their home in Saskatoon. From there Andrew learned to drive it, gave it a fresh paint job, and eventually took it with him to Prince Albert.

“It was just a first vehicle at the time, but now it’s a family treasure,” he said.

A treasure he wanted to share with his grandmother for her 89th birthday. He packed tools in the truck in case of a breakdown and made the roughly 450-kilometre trip over Labour Day weekend.

“I was sitting at the window on my chair and I saw a vehicle drive up,” Victoria Chornomitz, Andrew’s Grandmother said.

The first thing she noticed was his licence plate.

“I saw the license plate number and I thought 'Oh that shouldn't be here, it looks like Andrew's' and sure enough it was Andrew," she said.

"I thought how come they're here, did they think I was dying or something. I was so surprised.”

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The first time she saw it in 30 years. Victoria hopped in the truck and went for a ride around the community with Andrew and one of his aunts taking turns at the wheel.

“For him to even drive down here and show mom, I am very proud of him,” Dianne Moore, Andrew’s aunt told CTV News.

Another aunt remembers using the truck to get her licence.

“It’s a good feeling that he’s using it and knowing that he kept it all these years,” Darlene Gurniak said,

Victoria said seeing the truck was “the best birthday present” she ever had.