Mike & Katy
Mike and Katy Kaylor are newcomers to Arizona having moved here from Indiana this past August. He was one of four children and grew up in a low-income household. Mike’s parents worked very hard to provide for them and their example instilled the belief in Mike that if you wanted something you had to work for it.
Mike’s admiration for Corvettes started when his older brother Bob asked him to take care of his ‘65 Corvette when he received his orders to serve in Vietnam. Mike was 16, had just gotten his driver’s license and was working at a truck stop washing dishes and mopping floors. He saved up enough money to put a down payment on his first car, a ‘64 Nova. The Nova got him to school and work but wasn’t very dependable so Bob gave him permission to drive the Corvette to school. This ignited his passion for Corvettes and he knew that one day he would own one.
Mike started working in construction his senior year in high school and after graduating in ’76, a builder offered to help Mike start his own construction company. It was a challenging time because of gas shortages, a slow economy and high interest rates but after several years, Mike had a stable business.
Mike’s high school friend, Mark, father owned a sprint car and Mike worked as a crew member and to help transport the car. He learned a lot about racing and was able to see all kinds of muscle cars as well as travel and meet some famous race drivers.
In ‘84 Mike was finally able to purchase a ‘78 25th Anniversary Corvette. After a couple of custom interior modifications Mike was ready to “drive the car circuit” with his friend Steve, who had a Porsche.
A friend of Mike’s who worked at a local Chevrolet dealership wanted to sell his 1,200 mile ’82 Corvette. As soon as Mike saw the car he knew he was going to buy it.
One Labor Day weekend he visited a local pub and that’s when he met Katy. When the evening was over, he offered to take her home in his Corvette and he remembers thinking that she was impressed. They started dating, fell in love and were married in ‘87 and went on to raise 3 wonderful children, Derek, Stephanie, and David.
Over the years Mike and Katy vacationed in Arizona and the weather, scenery and activities always kept them coming back. They had planned to wait a few more years before retiring, but between Christmas day ‘19 and April ‘21 they lost Mike’s father Robert Sr., his sister JoAnn and his younger brother Tracy. Mike and Katy realized life was too short and It took them a year to sell everything and to find a new home here in Estrella Mountain Ranch.
In addition to the Car Club, Mike also is active in pickleball and senior softball, to name few.
Mike realized he couldn’t be in a car club without a car so after 35 years and a lot of hard work, he ordered their 2023 Arctic White Stingray Z51.