Missing Bus: OKC Family Searching For Meaningful Family Heirloom

An Oklahoma City woman is looking for a lost family bus; a bus that means more than a way to travel. 

“Life is short, and the clocks are ticking,” Oklahoma City resident Katie Hawk said. 

Memories are born from the adventures people take. That rings true for one family.  

“The strength of their friendship is what inspired me to tell this story,” Hawk said. 

In the 1970s, Hawk’s dad Fred and his friends, Ron and Gary, bought this bus to travel and race motorcycles.   

“They had some very good times,” Hawk said. “They got away with a bunch of stuff.”  

Fast-forward to 2023 and their family bus is missing. Hawk’s dad sold the bus in the 90s. A field just outside of Shawnee was the last place they saw it.   

Hawk and her friend Ryan West are preserving these memories and this mystery in a documentary. 

“The three main characters,” West said. “They are a hoot.”  

West never turns down the chance to tell a story.   

“I think it’s great,” West said. “It’s fantastic.”  

This is a tale of three men who stayed together after their service in the U.S. Navy during Vietnam.   

“[The bus] was a safe place for them to escape,” Hawk said. “They made it, and they have a lot of friends that didn’t make it.”  

Chapters of that story remain untold.  

“Those are things my dad has never shared with me,” Hawk said. “So, I’m learning.” 

 This bus formed a family.   

“Load all us kids up for the weekend and off we’d go,” Hawk said. 

Hawk spent her childhood along for this ride–memories she’ll never forget. 

“It's much more than a bus,” Hawk said. 

She wants to give three life-long friends who lived life to the fullest a chance to say goodbye to the machine that fueled their family adventure.  

"There’s a lot of memories packed into the bus,” Hawk said. 

Anyone who comes across this bus can contact the Hawk family at thumperbunch@gmail.com or (405) 503-1411.