Ted Chaney
Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2026 6:11 am
It is with a very heavy heart that I need to add to this forum. As many of you who made it to Kombis on Kelleys this past weekend, our beloved Ted passed away suddenly while at the event.
I met Ted at my very first Kombis on Kelleys. I pulled in to the event and parked my bus on the West side of the main road. I looked across the way to see a Mango So-23. Same bus as me, just a different color; I had to meet him. I knew very little about VWs at the time, to be honest I still have a lot to learn. I went to meet Ted to see if he would shed some light on the questions I had. He not only took the time to educate me, he crawled under my bus to point things out. “This is the horn” and “this here is your accelerator cable”. Yes, that is how little I knew. He told me he was 80 years old and I was floored. In that moment, he became an inspiration. Over the years, I got to see him at various shows and events.
Every year in August when the KoK registration opened, without fail, I’d get a call. I was so happy to hear he wanted to come up this year with Elle, it’s quite a drive for anyone from the Columbus area to the island. For him, at the age of 94, soon to be 95, I was amazed when they rolled in. It was good to see them both.
He was kind, gentle and very sweet. He is a legend in this community. I will truly miss him.
A fellow member shared this article with me, so I wanted to post it here for anyone who wanted to know more about Ted and his story.
https://www.cityscenecolumbus.com/commu ... -his-life/
I met Ted at my very first Kombis on Kelleys. I pulled in to the event and parked my bus on the West side of the main road. I looked across the way to see a Mango So-23. Same bus as me, just a different color; I had to meet him. I knew very little about VWs at the time, to be honest I still have a lot to learn. I went to meet Ted to see if he would shed some light on the questions I had. He not only took the time to educate me, he crawled under my bus to point things out. “This is the horn” and “this here is your accelerator cable”. Yes, that is how little I knew. He told me he was 80 years old and I was floored. In that moment, he became an inspiration. Over the years, I got to see him at various shows and events.
Every year in August when the KoK registration opened, without fail, I’d get a call. I was so happy to hear he wanted to come up this year with Elle, it’s quite a drive for anyone from the Columbus area to the island. For him, at the age of 94, soon to be 95, I was amazed when they rolled in. It was good to see them both.
He was kind, gentle and very sweet. He is a legend in this community. I will truly miss him.
A fellow member shared this article with me, so I wanted to post it here for anyone who wanted to know more about Ted and his story.
https://www.cityscenecolumbus.com/commu ... -his-life/