| Author | Message | ||
     Jerry_haughton |
June 6th, 2005 Dear Mrs. Levesque – My name is Jerry Haughton, and back in October 2003 we mailed a small check to Meredith Harley-Davidson/Buell in honor and memory of your son Daryl, marked “From the Participants of Oktoberfast.” You were kind enough to send a very nice “Thank You” card in reply, along with a copy of Daryl’s obituary and another small card that I assume was handed out at his memorial service, with a color photo on the back of Daryl apparently doing a track day on his Buell motorcycle. I wanted to let you know that riders who knew (or knew of) Daryl still stop at his memorial site in Arizona and pay their respects. Enclosed are photos taken during a ride called AZ SpringFast 2005, which took place over the weekend of April 22-24, 2005. On Saturday the 23rd our group stopped at your son’s memorial for about a half hour or so and remembered Daryl. Many of the folks in our group had met Daryl back in 2003 during the BRAG ride and all spoke highly of his enthusiasm and warmth and friendship. I wasn’t there during that event, but I heard these same sentiments expressed many times online as I followed the ride from here in California. Everyone agreed that Daryl was a genuinely great individual, and no one during SpringFast had an unkind word to say about your son. In several of the photos, Bart (who organized AZ SpringFast 2005) and Carey, who had both met Daryl during the BRAG ride, are attaching photocopies of the items you sent me in 2003 to the back of Daryl’s memorial cross. It seemed to me a nice way for all of us to pay our respects to BOTH of you. I hope you don’t mind that we did that. It was mostly a somber time during our brief visit with Daryl, yet there was laughter, too, as the folks who had ridden with him in 2003 remembered the man he was. I’m glad that my friend Denise and I, too, finally got to pay our respects in person, and I’m aware that other riders stop by Daryl’s memorial as well when passing through that area. We hope this note finds you well, and we hope it is of some comfort to know that your son is still remembered and respected in the motorcycling community. Sincerely, Jerry Haughton and Denise Murphy July 10, 2005 I just don't know where to begin!! It has taken me a long time to respond to your precious keepsake of a letter and photos. I received them on June 11th - the day before Daryl's birthday. I do believe in guardian angels. The pictures are so special to me. When I look at them I can just see all of you sending me along a touch of love and strength. Thank you - I am lost for any more words right now - hope you all understand - Love Shirley Levesque         we took up a collection at the first Oktoberfast, which took place the weekend following the Torque Fest in 2003, and sent Daryl's mom, Mrs. Shirley Levesque, a check for a little over $300, signed "From the Participants of Oktoberfast." several weeks later we received a very nice "Thank You" card from Mrs. Levesque, along with several other printed items in memory of her son. her handwritten note read, in part, "I wish to thank all of you dearly for your generous donation in memory of my son, Daryl C. Levesque." for SpringFast i made copies of her card and note and other items, and in the pix above Bart and Carey are zip-tying the bundle to Daryl's memorial marker. it seemed to me a small way to help strengthen the connection between a mother and her fallen son. the rider above is Daryl, obviously doing a track day. the inscription under the photo reads, "The road in Heaven is paved in pure gold and goes on forever and ever." he may be gone, but he is not forgotten. ride in peace, Daryl Charles Levesque.     heartfelt thanks to the participants of Oktoberfast and of AZ SpringFast 2005, for being who you are. thank you to Bart for organizing such a wonderful ride, and to you and Carey for doing such a caring, careful job attaching Daryl's mementos. and thank you Jim Witt, aka SmokeDaddy, for creating such a beautiful memorial cross for our fallen brother. receiving the note above from Mrs. Levesque was one of the proudest moments of my life, and i'm grateful to the point of tears that everyone at SpringFast felt as strongly as i did that we were doing a good thing that morning. thank you all. Ferris and Denise | ||
| M1combat |
Thank you Jerry. You're a good man. | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
thanks Don, but this has all been a team effort, from the initial contributions at Oktoberfast '03, to the fact that everyone at SpringFast '05 so warmly embraced the idea of paying Daryl and Mrs. Levesque our respects. i'm proud for ALL of us -- we did a very, very good thing that morning. thanks again Don. FB | ||
| Bartimus |
I cannot pass that spot without stopping. I always picture him, there at the Days Inn, washing his bike at 0700 in the morning when I came back from gassing up before breakfast. He had such a big grin on his face. He was SOOOO ready for the days ride. Jerry, You should also forward the pics from the RideFest back in September when we stopped there and paid our respects. They are archived in the AZbuellers, in the Storm Fronts I do believe. if not, I have copies still on my computer in high res. It was a great ride, and I thank all who attended for their enthusiasm and level heads. I'm bummed at missing the Oktoberfast, (although it still may be doable) :} There is always the upcoming RideFest2 coming up in September !!! | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Bart, it's great to see your name and hear your words, i wish it happened more often these days. hope all is well for you, my friend. and sure hope Oktoberfast is in the cards for you. i personally will be bummed if you can't make it (as will a TON of other people). thanks for all you did to make SpringFast special, and for embracing for what we did at Daryl's memorial that morning. the enthusiasm and level headedness you mention above was simply a reflection of you. hope to see you in October. FB&D | ||
| Smokedaddy |
Oh, just to let you guys know since I never mentioned it to anyone in the past …… I sent a high-resolution 8 ½” x 11” color photo and a few additional 5”’x7”’s to Daryl’s Mom (extras for his girlfriend, daughter etc. too), right after I made and staked the memorial. I received numerous emails and letters from his relatives afterwards. -SD: | ||
| Unibear12r |
Bart-there's always a way my friend. We can make it so.  That was a special place and time. Glad I was there. (Message edited by unibear12r on July 13, 2005) | ||
| Cruisin |
Thanks for posting the pics of the memorial. I rode with Daryl quite a bit in the NE ride, and became good friends. I was away on vacation the entire week from before the accident to after the funeral. I never did get to pay my respects, and it's glad to see that his memorial is still there and is being taken care of. Here's some pics from the NE ride that I have. Outside the diner for breakfast:  We modified the sign slightly:  Lunch along the way...he felt like royalty among us:  And the fun part - his primary started leaking. Primary fluid on the tires (not to mention in the dark) is not fun. Luckily we found an Advanced Auto Parts that was open late and got a fuel tank patch kit. An hour later we were back on the road (after hitting a pressure washer). 165 miles to go before getting to the hotel, and it was 9 o'clock. The dealer in Binghamton, NY, got the bike in asap the next morning and replaced the primary gasket. Excellent service!  (Message edited by cruisin on July 14, 2005) | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
Chris, thanks a million for your pix and words. your photo of Daryl above is the first i've seen that was close enough and clear enough to actually tell what he looked like, and it's great to finally put a face to his name. i agree with your sentiment about his memorial, and was glad to finally be able to see it. thanks again.  FB | ||
| Bcordb3 |
Where is Daryl's memorial located? Should would like to stop and meditate. | ||
| Bartimus |
Bill, The monument is about 3 or 4 miles west of the AZ/NM state line on Hwy 78. Ping me if you need beter directions... | ||
| Jerry_haughton |
letter from Daryl's Mom, 4/23/2006 |
