Was very saddened to read a post written by my friend's GF last night on the chat room I used to go to. I still go to read stuff but never post anymore. There were a few nice people on there who I met and Fatboy was one of them. He was a huge man and a member of the Hell's Angels. He drove for four hours from ShowLow, Arizona to meet me at a coffee shop one day. We talked for a couple of hours and he treated me with great kindness and respect. We chatted on the phone and emailed back and forth a few times, then met him w/ his girlfriend and a bunch of other people at a restaurant for dinner a couple months later. It was a very diverse group, but we had great fun. …
He was a big man and rode a big Harley called 'Fatboy' and preferred that nickname instead of his real name of Mike. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
This was the post I read:
"Friends of Fatboys
Date: 2008-07-10, 5:32PM MST
Im sorry to post this news. He was taken from us yesterday. While riding his bike a driver hit him. I know he came on here and made friends. I got to meet some of you folks out at a Tempe restuarant about a year ago. He found nice people to chat with. He rode free and has joined others that have done the same. I want to THANK all the folks that put a smile on his face.
I'll miss you hon ……be seeing ya down the road"
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My poem for him:
Ride like the wind
on your Harley so free
and meet all your buddies
who have gone before thee
May you ride for eternity
With all your HA bros
free as a bird
with your bikes all aglow.
With the shine of a diamond
on the chrome of your bike
I’ll remember your words
of friendship that night.
We met and sipped coffee…
for two hours we talked
I no longer feared
this tall, giant hulk.
I met you again
With your girlfriend one night
At a Tempe restaurant
……oh, this just isn’t right.
We talked of all subjects
and laughed till we cried
and now we cry for real
for you have died.
thesnakeandiandthebutterfly 
you are in my thoughts for your loss this day.
Below is the link to the article about my friend in his home town newspaper: http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19843547&BRD=2264&PAG=461&dept_id=505965&rfi=6Not sure if this will go through since I haven't been able to do anything in my blog since this morning.
the link worked just fine. vehicle and cycle accidents are such a tragedy. over the past year, i've lost friends to cancer. i'm a bit concerned about the friends i have how are riding — they found the motorcycle is a wonderful experience and many more of them are using bikes to save on fuel.again, i am sorry for your loss. deborah.
Thanks Deb.
I just finished that new artical about the death of FatBoy. Obviously, the woman couldn't see well enough or HEAR well enough to still have a liscense to drive. I lay the death of that man squarely at the feet of the State of Arizona, for not taking her permit away before she killed somebody.A lot of old people play the system, so that they can keep driving long after they shouldn't. Most of them actually realize that they should stop driving, but refuse to until they kill somebody, or in some cases, a lot of people.
Oh Pam – I am so sad to hear about this. Your poem honors his memory and I can understand, from reading all that you say, and particularly in your poem, your sense of shock, loss and grief. Although I never knew him I am affected by the passing of your friend and I remember John Donne's words from his Mediation XXII that says "…No man is an island, entire of itself…any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind ". I offer my condolence to you as well as to his family and loved ones. Your poem says so much about your feelings and your deep sense of loss.I read it and I feel your grief. Others stretch out their hands to you – let me now offer you mine.Loku your friend,feeling your grief.
I rode motorcycles for many years. I was once run off the road by a little old Jewish lady who had glasses so thick, she could start fires with them. I mourn the death of another cycle rider.
Thanks Loku and Tyler for your comments. When I first saw him coming into the coffee shop, I thought 'holy shit' he's a Hell's Angel!:eyes: But that smile on his face and the first few, soft spoken words out of his mouth made me realize I was not in harms way. The Angels have such a bad rep that most people think they're up to no good all the time. Granted there are some bad asses who've gotten into a lot of trouble but many are just regular, hard ridin guys. He was a gentle giant. I called his GF (her name is CK) yesterday morning and she was on her way up to Show Low. She was worried about his mom who is in her 70's and his two dogs. Then I called someone else who had spoken to his mom and she said her other son is going to take the dogs.Show Low is a small town way up in the White Mountains. A lot of retirees from Phoenix spend the summer up there cuz it's a lot cooler, then before the snow starts, they're back to Phoenix. Again, thanks guys.
I knew another "Mike" who was an "Hells Angel". We were a driving team for awhile. We had the most fun while we were together. Man did he have tattoos. On one run thru Oklahoma, we stopped at the farm of his folks and he showed me his bike. It was not a custom bike, it was a down and dirty chopper. Time seperated us, but if we met up again, we would still be friends.
this is a bit off topic, but i was almost ran over twice (maybe three times this day) by people in other vehicles who do not respect the road.i am alert and i avoided (twice) a vehicle accident today. in a posted 70MPH zone, you do not pull out of a parking lot at 25MPH when there is an oncoming vehicle with their headlights on! nor should one merge onto the interstate at 45MPH when the vehicles on the interstate are legal at 70MPH. makes no sense to me why people do not consider the other drivers on our roadways . . . . i try to be considerate and i try hard to compensate for those without consideration. sometimes it is very frustrating! why do some people find that it too time consuming (might be a whole two minutes) to wait until the traffic has cleared to turn left out of a parking lot? and it might cost you a whole thirty seconds to slow down enough to let the other driver (who is in such a hurry pass on by).the authorities will be putting traffic lights in some high-traffic area parking lots soon! (wal-mart mentality)!!!!!!!!!
A very nice tribute, Pam. :up:
At some point they will have to tighten up on who gets to drive, because there are too many people on the roads.:furious:
Oh My God!!! I am so sorry for his mother. Thats a good thing that his sister was able to take care of his dogs…
Thanks Ricardo. His only family was an elderly mother and a sister. They were heartbroken. Luckily his sister was able to take his two dogs.
Oh Pam, I am very sad to hear about your friend…I feel the sense of pain and shock by reading your poem. Although I never knew him, I've been in the same position.It's so sad to loose someone, specially when you don't even expected. But it's even worse for the family…
The press and the authorities will never let the "Angels" alone, ever. I see more crap about them on the "History Channel", and that is what it is too: Crap.I met one of the oldtimers, he had retired to Oklahoma, I won't say who it was, although he has probably passed away by now. His son and I teamed together on a semitruck for awhile. :coffee:
They have done some bad things along with the other motorcycle club, I forget the name. But they have done good things too. I think it's just that they're in a group which makes them more noticeable, brings more attention to them. What they do bad is miniscule if you take into consideration everything bad done by other 'regular' people.I have seen several of them at one time at a nearby convenience store and they are always courteous. Not like a few of the regular customers who will let the door slam in your face rather than hold it open for the person in back of them.
The ones that I saw out in California always waved to me as they blew past. Hells' Angels ride really fast.
Anonymous writes:Just wanted to say that he is still remembered for the kind soul he was….I was a single mom,coming out of a bad situation,staying @ the motel next to his fav coffee shop when I met him…It was a bad time for me,just doing the best I frikin knew how & feeling it wasnt good enough.Then one day a stranger bought me coffee & told me to smile….It became a habit,saying hello…Im pretty sure I mustve poured out my heart to him more than once….I never felt he had ulterior motives,never felt he was looking for more & for that Im eternally grateful….