Passing of the Legend

[Glenn Reed]

I never had the privilege to meet the man, but I surely have benefited from his foresight to the interwebs.

 

Were it not for him, I never would've met such a great group of people.

 

Godspeed, Cary.

 

You summed up my thoughts as well Danny.

 

Peace to those who were fortunate to have known him.

[philbytx]

Oh My !

 

Condolences to his family.....Cary was a great guy.

[Jacqueline]

Sad, sad news. I had the pleasure of meeting Cary a few years back at a bike show. I guess one could say it is because of Cary and what he started here that resulted in me moving clear across the country 7 years ago. He made an impact on many. Condolence to Cary's family and friends.

[marcopolo]

I never had the opportunity to meet Cary, but certainly heard a lot about him over my years here. Everything I heard was very positive, which is evidenced by some of the comments in this thread. It is sad indeed when someone young like Cary passes away, but one of his legacies will be his vision in starting this Board.

[Lone_RT_rider]

Ride in Peace, Mister Rogers.

 

If it weren't for Cary, I would not have the incredible friend base I have now. They put up with my weirdness, moodiness, depression, extreme fits of happiness, bouts of dyslexia and my ever present ADD. And yet, every time we get together it's like the perfect family re-union minus the uncle that can't seem to keep from passing gas.

 

These are my people.... And I would have never found them if it wasn't for BMWRT.com and Cary just wanting to share what he was discovering about a wonderful motorcycle called the R1100RT.

 

For that....I thank him and raise a glass in his honor.

 

As I said when Gleno passed. See you on the other side with a full tank of gas, and a fresh set of tires my friend.

 

Shawn

[Smoky]

Sadly, I never met the man.

 

However, this site, and the people within, made my BMW experience possible. This community has become an important part of my life.

 

Many thanks, and Godspeed.

[Jeff in VA]

"Knowing that real love and good memories never die can nourish everyone in the family in every time of need." Fred Rogers

 

It's still a beautiful day in the neighborhood Cary created.

[algover]

......

The impact he had was quietly tremendous.

.......

 

How very aptly put!

[Short Cut]

This is sad news indeed. Cary was a great guy and a good man. I recall fondly the feast we put on at the BMW MOA National Rally in Redmond, OR, 2001 for members of BMWRT.COM. It was unprecedented, like Cary himself, a sit down dinner for about 70 people. The membership later presented Cary with a neon BMW clock, which he later hung in his dealership.

 

Fond memories, Cary will be missed.

[Jake]

Good to see you Mike.

 

Definitely sad news for all of us. Wow, what a legacy that one man with a simple idea and a big interest can leave behind. This whole damn website is a living memorial to him.

 

Three things I wanted to do in life that I can't. Buy a bike from Cary, buy a bike from Paul, ride with either.

 

Man we're getting old, but we're doing it together, eh?

[roadscholar]

I never met Cary but I was at the '01 MOA Rally in Redmond where it is said some folks first got together that became the nucleus of this group. I wish I would've stumbled onto them then because it is apparent their memories of those early days are wonderful.

 

From all accounts Cary had the rare combination of vision, enthusiasm, a pleasant demeanor, and the desire and ability to bring people together.

 

People like that don't come along all that often. Rest in Peace sir.

[dhanson]

Yeah, to say his vision, this website, the riders I have met, changed my life, is a huge understatement! God only knows what I would be doing now if anything at all had I not read about the Pied Piper heading from San Diego to West Virginia.

 

That one experience began a ride I could never have imagined. Met so many different people, only FB could keep up with them all.

 

What a ride, thanks Cary!

[T.M. Roe]

Good men die too young.

 

All my love

Tommy

[KevinH]

Very Sad.

 

Enjoy the roads on the other side good sir. It's a safe bet Cary started a community that went beyond what anyone could expect.

[ltljohn]

I never had the privilege to meet the man, but I surely have benefited from his foresight to the interwebs.

 

Were it not for him, I never would've met such a great group of people.

 

Godspeed, Cary.

 

I can not say it better.

[Traveler1]

Kris

Sad news for sure. We will all miss his warmth and humor and remember the many great rides we shared.

[Frank Cloud]

I found this site back in 1999. Cary’s great website was an influence in the purchase of my RT. From there, I made and met some friends, all as a direct result of Cary’s influence. God Speed Cary.

[John Bentall]

Sad news indeed.

Cary gave birth to a great community. His ideals and vision have been preserved by a succession of great, like-minded site owners and moderators.

RIP Cary, BMWST is in safe hands.

[SteveHebert]

Sad day for sure. RIP!

[Eckhard Grohe]

Such sad news. I am sorry to hear of his passing. God Speed.

[Bud]

In Nova Scotia when I saw this today.

 

So sad to hear of his passing.

 

W/O this community, I wouldn't be riding in this part of the world today.

 

His legacy lives on in all of us.

[TomRog55]

Condolences and prayers for Cary and his loved ones. I have lurked here off and on for about 5 years before actually registering. Cary was evidently one awesome guy.

[TyTass]

I too never had the opportunity to meet the man who I've heard so much about, who unknowingly enriched my life many years after he'd inspired this community, and whom I would have loved to have thanked in person. So, let me say ... Thank you, Cary.

[John in VA]

I never met Cary, but his legacy lives here in this (his) forum/meetingplace.

 

Many thanks to Cary and prayers for his loved ones.

[Endobob]

Definitely sad news for all of us. Wow, what a legacy that one man with a simple idea and a big interest can leave behind. This whole damn website is a living memorial to him.

 

Three things I wanted to do in life that I can't. Buy a bike from Cary, buy a bike from Paul, ride with either.

 

Man we're getting old, but we're doing it together, eh?

 

I bought and rode with Paul but never had the pleasure of meeting Cary. Paul introduced me to this Board and made it clear to me that Cary was the inspiration and force behind this wonderful community. Many of us are indeed getting older, yet because of the examples that Cary and Paul were, I hope to continue to ride and enjoy the fellowship of the BMWST members for years to come.

 

[Nice n Easy Rider]

Like some others here, I never met Cary but I owe thanks to him for creating this wonderful place of friendship. Condolences to his family and all his friends.

[EffBee]

I heard from some of Cary's friends in Australia. They say the service and the wake were full of the kind of camaraderie that Cary always strove to create and support, and that he would have been proud. I'm glad to hear, and so I'm sure are the rest of us, that Cary had such good friends with whom to spend the last part of his life.

 

Thanks to all of our new friends from Down Under who accepted and loved him for the kind and giving man that he was. His life started here, and was completed there. And he was always with friends. That was Cary.

[MikeRC]

Linda and I also want to pass on our condolences to Cary's friends & family.

 

We stopped by Cary's shop twice on our travels and had a chance to personally thank him for starting this group. I also bought my first BMW riding suit (and a few other trinkets) from him.

 

And thanks Kris for getting the news to us.

 

Mike Cassidy

[swmckinley]

Sad news indeed. My condolences to his family and his BMWRT family here.

[EffBee]

First, a thank you to those who emailed photos over to Australia for Cary's service and wake. I've heard back from John Hawthorne who said they were very grateful to have had them. In that same email, John has sent me links to two YouTube videos. One is a video of some of the speeches and recollections that were given by his motorcycle club members, his mother, and his partner, Harvey. The second is a video of Cary, showing how to make "Motorcycle Margaritas" at a club event/campout. I'm keeping both links because in one I get to see a good friend laughing and talking, and in the other I get to see how his life positively affected a group of people half way around the world. Here are the links:

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest Kakugo]

I originally didn't want to say anything because I've never had the privilege of ever speaking to Cary even in digital form.

 

However I must say anybody who created something as good as this group here must have been an absolutely outstanding person.

Losing such persons is always a blow to anybody even remotely touched by their presence and cannot even imagine what it must be for his family.

[TEWKS]

First, a thank you to those who emailed photos over to Australia for Cary's service and wake. I've heard back from John Hawthorne who said they were very grateful to have had them. In that same email, John has sent me links to two YouTube videos. One is a video of some of the speeches and recollections that were given by his motorcycle club members, his mother, and his partner, Harvey. The second is a video of Cary, showing how to make "Motorcycle Margaritas" at a club event/campout. I'm keeping both links because in one I get to see a good friend laughing and talking, and in the other I get to see how his life positively affected a group of people half way around the world. Here are the links:

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the glimpse, FB! If the Motorcycle Margaritas video was taken recently, we can clearly see he was living his life very happily! Think that's the best any of us could ever ask for.

 

 

Pat

[Dewy1098]

Thanks for promoting all of our celebrations of Cary's life here in Australia, like you and all of the people paying tribute to Cary I valued his friendship enormously. I hope our celebrations did him justice because he was most certainly a larger than life character!

 

Darren Dewhurst

aka Dewy

Melbourne Motorcycle Tourers.

Australia

[Francis]

I'm really sorry to hear about this. I was first on this board in 1999 while I was thinking about buying a BMW after being on Suzuki's for a number of years. Cary had launched and was editing this site at that time. I bought my first BMW (1100 RT) in Northern California in December and stored it with my brother out there.

 

Over the winter of 2000 I had California BMW prepare the bike for the cross country trip back to NYC. I went out early for the return trip and met Cary at another dealership where I was having additional work performed. He was very generous with his time and encouraging on the work being done and for my trip ahead. He welcomed me to this board and to the BMW rider community.

 

We are all beneficiaries of his computing skills in pioneering this site at the time he launched it and his love of motorcycling...especially BMW's. He is a true pioneer and entrepreneur and will be missed.

[EffBee]

Thanks for promoting all of our celebrations of Cary's life here in Australia, like you and all of the people paying tribute to Cary I valued his friendship enormously. I hope our celebrations did him justice because he was most certainly a larger than life character!

 

Darren Dewhurst

aka Dewy

Melbourne Motorcycle Tourers.

Australia

 

Dewy, you're welcome. Cary was a bit larger than life over here, too. He had a vision and a zest for life. He was loved by so many. And his efforts at starting this website have been carried forward by thousands of passionate and helpful members who continue to "spread the love" each and every day. We're grateful to have had him among us, glad to know you feel the same way, and will continue to honor him by keeping this online motorcycling community moving forward.

 

Oh, by the way, we have a number of members from Down Under. Please let everyone at the Melbourne Motorcycle Tourers know we'd love to have them join us on this site and share their experiences, problems, solutions and camaraderie. We spell things a little funny, and ride on the wrong side of the road (except when passing a four-wheeled rolling roadblock), but I know you'll all find a lot in common here.

 

We have an upcoming event in Torrey, Utah, and I'm going to take Tequilla and Lollies, in Cary's honor.

[Urban Surfer]

I had no Idea who had started this.

Cary certainly has done a great deal for everyone who rides.

 

It's been a big help to me being being part of such a community.

 

Thanks to Cary and those who continue to run this forum

[ghan]

I'm in shock and saddened.

 

From the times I visited his dealership to times out on the road he always had a smile and a humble friendly way about him. Always enjoyed talking to him when I got the chance. I think my fondest memory of Cary was meeting on the road when we were each on a solo ride but ended up stopping to rest at the same spot near lake Berryessa. After a long chat he decided to change is route and rode along with me for a while. I think that was my last interaction with him.

 

God Speed, Cary.

[John_Hendriksen]

Reading of this terribly sad news reminded me of some beautiful words I've kept dear to my heart...

 

Fog in the morning here

will make some of the world far away

and the near only a hint. But rain

will feel its blind progress along the valley,

tapping to convert one boulder at at time

into a glistening fact. Daylight will

love what came.

 

Whatever fits will be welcome, whatever

steps back in the fog will disappear

and hardly exist. You hear the river

saying a prayer for all that's gone.

 

Far over the valley there is an island

for everything left; and our own island

will drift there too, unless we hold on,

unless we tap like this: Friend,

are you there? Will you touch when

you pass, like the rain. - William Stafford

 

You see, I met Cary early on, me being one of those re-entry riders one hears about, a little afraid and very excited about motorcycle travel. Bought a couple bikes from the big guy and always traveled the two hours to have my bikes serviced by a person I could trust and, dare I say, love. We rode together infrequently, but when we did, we laughed, told lies and celebrated life.

 

Now... the road says a prayer for all that's gone. Damn.

[Yeeha! Stephen]

So sad. Thoughts and prayers to family and friends.

[alexp]

I am lucky to be part of one of the originals in 2000 when I was living in the Bay Area. Thank you Cary for this great website! I wish BMW could do something special to remember you.

 

Alex Pacheco

[basketcase]

Just logged in today after a months long hiatus and this is the first post I clicked.

 

My condolences to all of his family and friends. RIP, fellow adventurer.

 

 

[RTinNC]

WOW ... Thanks for posting Kris! I was away for a couple weeks and am just now catching up on my reading. Very sad news indeed. It was this site and specifically the guidance and support from Cary that convinced me to go with a R1100RT vs a Honda ST1100 back in December 2000. I have been a BMW rider ever since and had it not been for Cary I may very well have gone another route. Let us all remember life is short so we need to make every day count!

 

God Speed Cary!

[Bigfish]

I wish I could have met the man. Because of his vision to create this site, my life has been filled with so much joy through the people and the knowledge of this forum.

I will keep spreading the love... may Cary and this forum live on and on and on.....

 

My most sincere condolences to all that knew him.

[John Ranalletta]

[George]

Hi Kris,

so sorry to hear of Cary's passing away. What a lovely man, we were so close to meeting him all those years ago when we visited the US on our own R1100RT, my word it is 14 years to the month.

 

Not many people would invite strangers from the UK into his home to work on their bike.

 

Kris, can you pass on our sympathy to all his family

 

Warmest regards

George and Kathy

Nottingham

England

www.rtrider.co.uk

[BrianT]

Thanks for posting that pic John. That is a flash from the past. It's the first Un in Gunnison if I remember right.

[Marty Hill]

Yup, great time.

[Bud]

 

thanks for the pic. I never had the pleasure of meeting him. However, his vision continues to live on in the lives of the members of this community.

 

BTW is that FB's Boston Green RT in the background of that pic.

[SageRider]

Kris, thank you for letting us know.

Cary, you had a huge impact on many lives.

My life was changed forever, beginning with bmwrt.com and that first ride with Cary and others on the original "Pied Piper" run to the Redmond rally.

For this, I am immensely grateful.

Thank you Cary. May you rest in peace.

[russell_bynum]

 

BTW is that FB's Boston Green RT in the background of that pic.

 

I don't see FB's light setup, so I don't think so.