Boone60 Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Cancer has claimed the life of my friend Rusty Hermsen. His name will be recognized by many people in the Green Bay, Wisconsin area due to his long career as a high school band teacher, but it was the summers off aspect that brought him into my life. In the 1970’s Rusty owned a small Bultaco (Hodaka) motorcycle dealership a couple blocks from my parent’s home. Our friendship started with me as a minibike riding kid, peering through the front window at the real dirtbikes. Soon, I was hanging around in the back shop area being exposed to a whole new world of experiences. I learned a lot about life from Rusty. From how to return a tool to it's exact place in the tool chest, dating, and how to be true to myself in how I interact with others. One of the most appealing qualities Rusty had, was his youthful enthusiasm for life. He was an adult that was out to have some big fun in life, and he took this poor kid off the block along for the ride. Rusty raced motorcycles, and at this time of his life it was flat track on a 250cc Bultaco Astro with a pearl white paint job. I can still smell the bean oil burning as the flag dropped at the start of a race. We rode dirt bikes in the county forest, played on the Sherpa trials bikes, and when the Wisconsin winter set in, we studded up tires to ride on the ice. As I progressed from on/offroad bikes to street bikes, Rusty decided that he too needed a street bike, and I had myself a riding partner. Rusty belonged to the motorcycle club that runs what is now called the Viking Cycle Park in Denmark, Wisconsin. I joined up, and learned what it takes to put on an AMA sanctioned motocross race. I met people through Rusty, and gained another life-long motorcycling friend. We drifted apart as marriage, careers, and different interests came into play, meeting only occasionally by chance around the city or a drop in to his home. When my wife was dying, I called to tell him, and we decided to get together more often. After buying the BMW R1100 RT, I brought it over and sent him out on it for a ride. That got him back into motorcycling, and we would go for rides when I could convince him to drop what he was doing. Rest in Peace Rusty, I'm going to miss you. Link to comment
Joel Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Sorry for your loss. That was a very nice tribute to your friend. Link to comment
azkaisr Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Worthy Tribute and sorry for your loss amigo Tom Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 It is devastating losing friends.... my sincere condolences. Link to comment
wolcott Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Sorry about your friend; he sounds like he was a cool guy. Remember the good times. Link to comment
BFish Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 feel your pain and thanks for sharing that with us. have had too many good friends succumb to cancer. Link to comment
Les is more Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 I'm so sorry but what precious times you had together. I suspect he'll be along in spirit on each ride you take for the rest of your life. Thanks for the glimpse into your friendship. Link to comment
pbharvey Posted January 29, 2009 Share Posted January 29, 2009 Sorry for your loss.Good memories are a lot to be thankful for. Link to comment
Bud Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 What a sad/wonderful post. Life long friendships are extremely rare and valuable. New friends know where we are going, old friends know where we have been. Thanks for sharing with us. As long as we have memories, they are never truly gone. Link to comment
Bullett Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 I am sorry to hear of your loss. He sounds like a great person and friend. Link to comment
Matts_12GS Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Analogously... One of my very good friends died while riding about 3 years ago. His two best childhood friends each took a film can of his ashes when they went to spread them from a familiar mountain peak and they keep those ashes under the seats of their bikes so Dave is always with them. Until I met him, I'd have thought that frivolously maudlin, now I understand it completely. Link to comment
RichEdwards Posted January 30, 2009 Share Posted January 30, 2009 Sorry for your loss. That was a very nice tribute to your friend. Amen to that. Link to comment
Boone60 Posted January 31, 2009 Author Share Posted January 31, 2009 Thanks everyone for the kind words. Rusty would have fit in good with the BMWST gang. Link to comment
Twisties Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 I'm sorry. I've been watching this thread since you started it and still have found nothing to say. My sympathies to you. Link to comment
AdventurePoser Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 What a great tribute to your friend. It sounds as if he was an honorabble well loved man. My condolences, Steve Link to comment
KMG_365 Posted January 31, 2009 Share Posted January 31, 2009 What a great tribute to your friend. It sounds as if he was an honorable well loved man. My condolences, Steve What Steve said. Many of us have lost a few riding buddies in the last few years and can all too well relate with what you're going through. We all share your grief and wish you peace. Link to comment
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