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Lost a friend last week

6K views 66 replies 60 participants last post by  PittsDriver 
#1 ·
Last Tuesday, Nov. 20, a friend, "Shef," who was service adviser at our local H-D dealership, had just left work, was on his way to a house and pet sitting gig he was doing for a friend when a 78 year old man failed to yield and made a left turn if front of him. Shef hit the brakes but was unable to avoid the collision and impacted dead center in the side of the pickup, taking the rear right door glass out with his head and face. He suffered head and face injuries, broken ribs and a punctured lung. The head injuries were severe enough that his brain swelled, and within hours, he was essentially brain dead and on life support until his family was able to arrive and make some tough decisions. He drew his last breath on Saturday, Nov. 24.

The outpouring of support, then grief, expressed by our motorcycle community has been overwhelming. Shef was a retired military combat soldier, having received wounds in Iraq. He came to our area to work at the dealership. He had no family locally. The motorcycle community came together quickly and kept vigil at the hospital until his blood family made it's way to town.

Shef was a true biker. He rode everywhere he went. He didn't own a car. When his daughter got married in Vegas in May, he rode there and back in five days. In October, his ex-wife died in OH, and to support his children and former in-laws, he rode up for her funeral and had to ride back in driving rains produced by Hurricane Sandy. He was the kind of guy, that when you met him, you were instantly at ease, and he treated you like an old friend. He was soft spoken and kind hearted, despite his combat military background. As his last act of kindness, he donated his organs.

The dealership is closing 2 hours early this Friday to take a short memorial ride in Shef's honor, followed by a memorial service at the dealership. Then, Sunday we'll do the 13th annual SEPVA Toy Run.

Thanks for indulging me a moment to memorialize my fallen friend. RIP Dave "Shef" Sheffield.

 
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#13 ·
Thank you. Yes, he was a great guy. That's why the loss is felt so deeply.

A sad side note to the story is his daughter recently found out she's expecting, and she was waiting until the holidays to share the news with her dad, but never got the chance. This will be Shef's first grandchild. :(
 
#11 ·
so sorry, believe me we feel your pain & the pain of the family, we here lost a dealer/owner in July, & ten days later a service writer @ the same dealership, the "kill" zones in the U.S.A. just keeps expanding. Again our prayers are with you. :(
 
#20 ·
I am sorry to hear of the loss of your friend. Just goes as reminder we have to be on the look out all the time.
 
#22 ·
Truly tragic, sounds like one hell of a good guy. My heart goes out to his family and friends...
 
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