This started out to be just about the Ronnie Sox
Foundation.
But you can’t have that without love. You’re
familiar with the late Ronnie Sox and his achievements on the drag strip and
the charity foundation in his name, which is approaching its first
birthday.
Oh, you’re not?
You will be in just a minute.
But first, this is a story of love, some might say
a May-September romance that narrowly missed being unrequited love. The union
of Diane and Ronnie. You read about Sox’ achievements with the Sox and Martin
team on www.competitionplus.com last year.
You know, the five championships and so on…
But what’s a hard-boiled drag racing writer doing a
story that has to do with love?
Brake pads and manifolds, okay, but what will make this story go faster? A dose
of nitro, maybe a supercharger?
No, Diane Sox, Ronnie’s widow, that’s the element.
And she’s the force behind the Ronnie Sox Foundation, which raises funds and
donates twice a year for youngsters at St. Jude’s.
True love never dies and a champion’s appeal lives forever …
This started out to be just about the Ronnie Sox
Foundation.
But you can’t have that without love. You’re
familiar with the late Ronnie Sox and his achievements on the drag strip and
the charity foundation in his name, which is approaching its first
birthday.
Oh, you’re not?
You will be in just a minute.
But first, this is a story of love, some might say
a May-September romance that narrowly missed being unrequited love. The union
of Diane and Ronnie. You read about Sox’ achievements with the Sox and Martin
team on www.competitionplus.com last year.
You know, the five championships and so on…
But what’s a hard-boiled drag racing writer doing a
story that has to do with love?
Brake pads and manifolds, okay, but what will make this story go faster? A dose
of nitro, maybe a supercharger?
No, Diane Sox, Ronnie’s widow, that’s the element.
And she’s the force behind the Ronnie Sox Foundation, which raises funds and
donates twice a year for youngsters at St. Jude’s.
How did that come about? Whoa, Careful now, we
don’t want to red light.
Let’s go back to the beginning, or the water box,
in Diane’s words:
"Ronnie and I met when I was 20 at the
Gatornationals," she says. "I fell in love with him at first sight.
At age 22, he finally got the nerve, once again at the Gatornationals, to ask a
friend if I were dating anyone. At age 23 he asked me to accompany him to Budds
Creek for a race, which I might add he won."
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Diane says after that he called every night and the
pair was dating long distance, and he asked her to move to Carolina, which she did.
"We eventually parted ways because of the
17-year age difference. I wanted to get married and have babies and Ronnie had
grown children almost my age. Ronnie didn’t want to start over at
40."
This appeared to be a May/September love affair
headed for a downward spiral.
And be patient, we’re getting to the Ronnie Sox Foundation, through which Diane
continues their all-to-brief time on this earth.
Indeed, somebody once wrote that when he chooses
not to use His own name, God calls it coincidence. Or perhaps, in this
instance, a set of golf clubs.
They parted ways, but remained in touch over the
years seeing each other whenever she was in the Carolina
area or he in the Virginia
area.
"In 1999, I was lobbying and called Ronnie to
ask if he would make me a set of golf clubs and he did. When I went there to
pick up the clubs I had not seen Ronnie in five years at that time. When he
opened the door, it was like time had stood still for me and all these emotions
came flooding back to me. Needless to say, he, too, felt the same way.
"I spent the weekend to visit with his family
and from that point on we were inseparable. Two years later, he
proposed."
And things went well until…
"Six months into our wedding Ronnie was
diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer," she says.
"As you can imagine it took the wind out of
his sails. Ronnie wanted to have our marriage annulled. He said it wasn’t fair
to me, that I was too young to go through such an ordeal.
"I told him that he had broke my heart years
ago, and if he didn’t mean those vows for better or worse, in sickness and in
health ’till death do us part, then he could annul the marriage, but I would
never forgive him — to which he replied, “I knew you would say that, but I had
to give you an out."
Diane says they spent as much time with each other
as they possibly could, with his racing and fans.
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"Ronnie’s life was all about racing and he
needed his fans more than ever then. Despite his rigid treatments he always
remained positive and, we lived our life the best we could making each day
count. We had long talks and our time together was ever so special. He made me
the happiest woman in the world. Ronnie also became a Christian in 2003.
"Ronnie’s last words to me before passing were
to promise him that I would never forget how much he loved me and he thanked me
for taking such good care of him and never leaving his side."
Yes, here’s a dying man and his thoughts were of
Diane.
"He loved me in a way I have never been loved
before in my life — unconditionally. Ronnie died peacefully at home with me,
our faithful Maltese and our best friends Erma and Lloyd at his side. He died
April 22, 2006, six days before our fifth wedding anniversary. "
What about the Ronnie Sox Foundation? Hold on,
we’re still at the burnout stage of things.
Almost three years of chemotherapy took its toil on
Ronnie.
"He would get so sick that it was hard to
watch him suffer so. I would run to the bathroom with him and hold a cool wash
cloth to his forehead and rub his back. He begged me to go away as he didn’t
want me to see him that way, but I refused to leave his side. Ronnie was humble
as ever, not grumpy, many times is the norm.
"One day after a grueling chemo treatment
Ronnie became very emotional when I asked what was wrong and he pointed to the
TV.
"A St. Jude commercial was on TV and Ronnie
said, ‘Diane, I am 67 years old and I have lived a great life, but those poor
kids may never see 67 much less have a great life and, it breaks my heart to
think those kids are having to endure what I have for the last 2 ½ years of
chemo.’ "
"When Ronnie passed I was so lost without him
and I wanted so desperately to do something in his memory and, more importantly
to keep his memory alive both on and off the race track.
"That is when I thought of starting the Ronnie
Sox Foundation to benefit the kids at St. Jude in Ronnie’s Memory. I called
Buddy (Martin) and he also thought it was an awesome idea and the law firm I
work for — Hunton & Williams — did the paperwork for Ronnie’s
Foundation."
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The Ronnie Sox Foundation is a bonafide 501(c)(3)
non-profit organization. To date, with the help of Supercar Collectibles,
Mopars at the Strip, Buddy Martin, many others and last, but certainly not
least, Ronnie’s fans, they have given St. Jude a total of $115,900. The Ronnie
Sox Foundation has pledged to give two donations a year to St. Jude in Ronnie’s
memory.
"I will have used 100 per cent of my vacation
time doing the fundraisers in this year. I work 8:30 to 5:00 at Hunton &
Williams LLP as a Professional Assistant Monday through Friday and come the
weekends I head off to my fundraisers."
Diane’s schedule this year, for instance:
February 2007 – Ronnie inducted into the NC Drag
Racing Hall of Fame
March 29-April 1 – Mopars at the Strip, Las Vegas
April 21-22 – Cowtown Mopars, Texas
May 26-28 – Suffolk Raceway Reunion
July 6-8 – Carlisle, PA
Aug. 4-5 – Car show in Minnesota
Aug. 14 & 15 – Ronnie being inducted into the Motorports Hall of Fame of
America – MI
Oct. 6-7 – Hotrod Reunion Kansas
Oct. 12-14 – Bakersfield, CA
Oct. 19- 21 – Henderson, NC
There, now you know about the Ronnie Sox
Foundation, which keeps this couple together here and was born by a near tear
in Sox’s eye while watching television.
So you see, this IS a love story. From way back.
Officially, the marriage date was April 28, 2001 and after that all-to-brief
time together as husband and wife, that love story continues.
Further information on Sox’s career may be found at
www.ronniesox.com but if you are of a
mind to donate, here’s further information:
Anyone making a donation will receive a created
"In Memory of Ronnie Sox" decal, crafted especially for the
Foundation. Send contributions payable to "Ronnie Sox Foundation" to
Diane Sox, 1673 Independence Court,
Richmond, VA 23238.
Please enclose a stamped, self-addressed
envelope for prompt return of your decal(s). You can reach Diane Sox by email
at: ronniedianesox@verizon.net
