Slipstream July 2021

The next women behind the wheel are two volunteers who happened to join the PCA at about the same time. I
enjoyed spending an hour with each woman, learning about their Porsches and their lives outside the club. Ginger
Heuerman (pronounced HUE-er-Man) is the current Rally Co-Chair with her husband, Tom. They own Max,
a 1986 Matte Black 944 LS1 with a distinct red stripe. Susie Jones is the brand-new Social Co-Chair with her
husband, Dana. They own a 2021 Carrara White Metallic Cayenne S Coupe. Both ladies live in Frisco and share
their club roles with their husbands. As you read on about Ginger and Susie, you’ll see that the similarities stop
there. One of the ladies told me about her beau selling his first Porsche to pay for their wedding, and the other
admits she hardly drives their Porsche and makes a much better passenger.
Ginger Heuerman with Max
So I don’t confuse you by going back and forth, I’ll
start with Ginger, whose given name isn’t Ginger at
all, but rather Sandi. Nicknamed Ginger for her silky,
long locks, you’ll need to use her nickname to get her
attention. As a child, Ginger moved often as her parents
followed employment opportunities. She attended 13
different schools – three in one year alone – twice!
This clearly helped develop her outgoing personality.
The act of relocating is very natural to her, and she’s
surprised to find
that she’s lived
in one place for
14 years now.
When she feels
the itch to move,
she finds other
ways to satisfy
her need for
something new,
often changing
her hair or
redecorating.
At the age
of 10, Ginger’s
grandmother
Ginger and Tom
10 July
Women Behind the Wheel: Ginger Heuerman & Susie Jones
by Joann Talty
photos provided by Ginger Heuerman and Susie Jones
taught her how to sew. She still recalls one of her first
projects: a green felt doll with a square head, arms,
legs, and button eyes. Today, she’s a professional quilter
with a big heart for charity making teddy bears, quilts,
stockings, wheelchair bags, and pillowcases. Into
sewing myself, I asked what type of sewing machine she
uses, and she instead responded with the quantity: four.
Wow! That must be one heck of a workroom.
Ginger and the Frisco Quilt Guild raffle a quilt
annually and raise funds selling pecans at the end of
each year. Their work benefits Frisco Family Services,
Hope’s Door, CASA, Meals on Wheels, and the Veterans
Administration Hospital. You may recall the Maverick
quilt she created and raffled off to benefit Patriot Paws
in 2017. For her efforts, Ginger was recognized as
January 2018’s Mav of the Month.
Speaking of animals, Ginger and Tom have two
rescue dogs. Konig is a Red Heeler/Shepherd mix, and
Teaga is a Whippet/Pit Bull mix. Her daily driver, a
Honda Odyssey, is perfect for carting them around or
taking them on glamping trips when she and Tom rent
a cabin or Airbnb in a remote location to get away. Ever
hear of a sugar glider? I hadn’t either. I laugh because
my guess was a bird. Sugar gliders are little nocturnal
marsupials, and the Heuermans have three.
Ginger met Tom through his mom, Jan Wright, in
May of 2000. While working in the internal medicine
billing department at UTSW, Jan became Ginger’s
boss and Ginger noticed photos of her sons on her
desk. There was just one problem – Ginger lived in
the metroplex and Tom lived in South Dakota. After
a two-week email relationship, Ginger booked a trip
to visit Tom in June. She returned after a week-long
visit announcing her plans to move there. She quit her
job and moved in August. He proposed the day after
Thanksgiving, and they married in May 2001. On May
14, they celebrated 20 years of marriage.
The 944 was always a dream of Tom’s. Ginger
loved its look and happily went along. They found a
1986 Zermatt Silver Metallic 944 online in 2009 and
bought it after only seeing photos. It arrived with dents
to repair, windshield wipers attached by baling wire,
and unable to start. This began a journey of about 15
different shops to bring it to today’s condition. The first
three shops dealt with trying to save the engine. Sadly,
the first two attempts failed. Shop three suggested
swapping an LS1 engine from a 2006 Corvette that had
been totaled when it was rear-ended.
Named Max after Maxmillian from the movie The
Black Hole, they had the seats recovered with black
leather and red trim in 2016 with Sue at ASM Upholstery
(of Fast N’ Loud fame.) In January 2017, Complete
Customs painted the exterior matte black with the red
stripe. Since Max has a heavy clutch, Ginger admits she
has been behind the wheel only a handful of times.
Susie Jones
was born in
Dallas, raised in
Richardson, and
attended Texas
Tech University,
where she
earned a BS in
Education. In
1982, she earned
a Master’s in
Education from
the University
of North Texas.
She spent her
career teaching
struggling
readers, grades
K-3 in Austin,
Susie Jones
Frisco, Plano,
and London. No, not London, Texas, near San Antonio,
the other London in England. She retired from teaching
in late 2020 to be with her husband as he began his
battle with stomach cancer.
Susie met Dana on a blind date at Texas Tech during
their junior year and were engaged three months
later. They’ve been married for 46 years and have one
daughter and three young grandchildren close by. There
have been two Porsches in the Jones’ garage – each with
interesting stories.
The first was a 1972 Willow Green 914. Dana and
his father split the cost of the car for his high school
graduation gift. He sold it in 1975 to marry Susie. Last
year, he ordered a 2021 Cayenne S Coupe 2.9L twin
turbocharged V6, 8-speed Tiptronic S with grey interior
as his retirement present. It quickly turned to Susie’s
daily driver when he realized he needed another Ford
F-150 Platinum for their unconventional hobby, and
ordered one in April for a summer delivery. He asked
her if she wanted the Porsche or the Audi Q8 she had
been driving, and her answer was clear.
Susie and Dana are USDA certified tree farmers,
lifetime members of The Texas Forestry Association
(TFA), and engaged with the Landowners Council
for TFA. This passion of theirs requires routine
communication with the USDA, the Natural Resources
Conservation Service (NRCS,) Texas A&M Forestry
Service, and their consulting forester. Much like the
gas wells and mineral rights on land her parents
owned put her through college, Susie looks to pass
this timber revenue legacy on to their daughter and
grandchildren.
I talked with Susie about travel, too, wondering
about her experiences in London. She and Dana
spent 2003 in Europe for his work. They rented a
townhouse on a high street in St. John’s Wood near
The American School in London where she taught for
six months. In their spare time they took the Eurostar
to Paris twice, explored a handful of Italian cities with
their vacationing daughter, enjoyed a Thanksgiving
holiday and the Christmas market in Prague, and were
fortunate to visit nine countries and 29 cities in 2003.
They booked an August Porsche tour in Germany,
Austria, and Switzerland with Autobahn Adventures
but postponed it hoping to possibly go next year. Later
this year, they plan to travel the east and west coasts in
their Cayenne enjoying the towns and cultures along
the way. The couple regularly heads to Marfa, Texas,
to enjoy the artsy community in the surprisingly cool
summer weather. Here they take in the Big Bend
scenery, visit the McDonald Observatory, and dine at
their favorite restaurant, Stellina.
Susie, Dana and their 2021 Cayenne S Coupe
Check out August’s online Slipstream for more
photos Ginger and Susie shared with me. See what fun
might be coming our way as the two make plans with
their PCA roles. Lastly, don’t be shy – if you’ve got a
cool story to share, send your info to me at joannmt@
verizon.net.
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