We have lost a good friend, Mark Eggers

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab I finally got the chance to speak at length with Kim, Mark's wife. According to her, he left to meet up with the Wednesday morning group at King's cafe. She speculated that he got there a little early and then made a run up through the forest to Richards and back. He was heading back towards King's on FM 149 when he left the road and struck a tree. No skid marks. No witnesses.

:tab According to the DPS that Kim spoke with, he was found just before 9:00am. This means that he could not have been there more than a few minutes before someone found him. He was dead on the scene. Kim is taking some small comfort in the knowledge that he died on one of his favorite roads doing what he really loved, and that he appears to have died quickly.

:tab Kim is doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. Mark had just been laid off Oct. 31st, and with that he just lost his $250K life insurance coverage. They were in the middle of building their dream home together just off of Egypt-Honea road a few miles South of 105. It is likely she will complete the construction and be forced to sell the house. They were not in debt, so her income is sufficient to provide for herself and their son, Andy. Right now, there is not much anyone can do for her. She is still a little in shock and denial. I will be staying in touch with her and will let everyone know if there is anything needed.

:tab There will not be a funeral. He is to be cremated per his wishes. Rather than a funeral, she wants to throw a big party where we can gather and share our stories and reflect on Mark's life, a celebration. To that end, I am looking for a good place on the North side of town, in the Woodlands area, that perhaps 100 people can get together for an evening meal. Time and date will be announced once we get it figured out.

:tab Please do not try to visit the funeral home as she has done nothing regarding viewing arrangements. She's a little overwhelmed right now because she has never lost anyone this close and is a bit numb. If any arrangements are made, I will pass along the details.

:tab Mark was 36 and is survived by his wife, Kim and their son, Andy. Those of you that have met him know what a warm and caring person he was, always willing to help anyone in need, and with an infectious fun nature. He truly loved riding and the people that he got to meet because of it. I'm really gonna miss him.

Here are a few shots from one of our rides this past summer:

The Man and His Machine (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/hodges072503/DSC00196.JPG)

Packed and Ready For The Ride (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/hodges072503/DSC00153.JPG)

Kicking Back With Paul at Hodges Gardens This Summer (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/hodges072503/DSC00164.JPG)

Vittorio, Mark and Paul (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/hodges072503/DSC00187.JPG)

Doing What He Loved! (http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/hodges072503/DSC00190.JPG)

This life is all to fragile. Please try to keep that in mind when you are out there, even when not on two wheels.

Adios,

[bbray01]

Scott,

Please see my post over at the HSN site. I don't want to be redundent but please call me at 713-823-3494.

Bill

[elliott_p]

I never met Mark but, as impersonal as this medium can be at times, you still somehow get a sense of friendship with people that you interact with in a forum such as twtex. I've read his posts, seen pictures and read stories. I feel like I knew the guy.

Things like this remind me that I need to be careful and that noone is immune from the danger of the sport.

I'm very sad today.

[buck000]

Man, that sucks, please pass my condolences on to the family. :(

[Snoopster]

I've only met Mark a few times but immediately knew that he was a great guy. He was very down to earth and easy to talk with. I was fortunate to see him with his wife and son at a recent bike night in Montgomery. This has shaken me up a bit being a new rider and traveling FM 149. Just a reminder that this can happen to anyone. My prayers go out to his family.

[Greeves TFS]

I didn't know Mark or his family. It saddens me to lose such a young man to a horrible accident. Mark was doing what he loved to do. Ride! He could have waited at King's for everyone to show up. Instead he did what he loved to do. Ride! There are no words that will comfort his wife and son right now. I pray for her comfort and her heavy loss. I pray for his son that he will be lifted up and continue as he dad would want him to do. If anything we can learn from Mark, is be careful and think of the consequences that may follow. We all have someone in our lifes that would be devasted if we would have the same results as Mark. Please be careful each and every one. I don't know you but you cherish what I do. I'd hate to loose another brother or sister.

[irondawg]

I've met Mark a couple of times. He was a very comptent rider. The times I've chatted with him you could tell how much of a good person he was and his passion for riding. He was a true motorcyclist in every sense of the word.

He will be missed. This is a sad day. :(

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

Be safe out there.

[Blue Bomber]

I am very sad that this has happend to anyone let alone someone as nice as Mark. I am glad that I had the opportunity to meet him and ride with him on several occasions. My thoughts and prayers are with Kim and Andy in this terrible time. I hope they realize just how much Mark has affected the lives of others. We will miss you, Mark.

[Desmo]

I don't know what to say that will make anyone feel better. This is such a tragedy.

I too was at the recent bike night at Kings. As Debbie said, Mark was there with his wife and son (how may of us have done THIS?). I could tell he was a real family man. He talked about his new house with a garage big enough for many bikes.

How did this happen? Obviously he was a competent rider and wore proper protection. The weather was relatively clear. Was an outside force involved (deer, auto, etc.) or mechanical failure (blowout, etc.) or even medical problem (heart attack)? We may never know.

I look forward to the get together to celebrate his life and love for motorcycling.

[Shortline]

I didn't know Mark. I don't think I have even had "post" conversations with him. But a fellow rider is a friend, thats why we all wave to one another when we pass. From the comments posted here, it is obvious what kind of man mark was, and that in itself is a wonderful thing to have achieved. I think the fact that him and his wife decided to forgoe a funeral, and instead celebrate his life, says a lot about what they believed, and how they lived. I can only hope she can find some comfort somewhere in all this tragedy, and can manage to go on with her life, and raise their son well, as Mark would. My prayers are with the family, and friends of Mark.

[Mark's Gal]

Thank you for all of your support and prayers and in the coming days Andy and I will need the strength of others to help us through. We are having a small service and viewing and the time and place are as such:
Addison-Smith Funeral Home
10129 W. FM 1097
Willis, TX 77318
936-890-0454

Viewing is Monday the 10th 5-8pm

Services are Tuesday 11th at 2:00pm

After the service Mark will be cremated as he wanted and brought home with his family and when I get things sorted out we will have a huge party at the location of our dream home he was building with such love for his family to celebrate his life. I will keep in touch with Scott to as all the details as they come up.

Thanks again for all your prayers and love.
Kim Eggers

[FLUFdriver]

Our prayers are with you Kim.

Mark, godspeed.

[brd]

I never had the honor of meeting Mark, but I am saddened by this
horrible news. :( My condolences to his family.

[red_m]

I didn't have the pleasure of meeting Mark, but did have the pleasure in conversing with him via the ceracing forum boards. The news of his passing came as a great shock, you never wish this type of tragedy on anybody. :|

On behalf of everyone who posts on Colin's forum from Australia, Kim and Andy, our condolences, you are in our thoughts and prayers.

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab What a day :| I have to thank God for giving me the peace of mind to get through it and for the privilege of being able to stand by Kim during such an ordeal. I made it down to the funeral home this morning and spent some time visiting with the man that picked up Mark at the scene. He was refreshingly frank with me when I asked questions. Mark and Kim are in good hands in this department.

:tab Afterwards I ran over to King's Cafe and spent a brief time visiting with the owners. They were quite distraught to find out one of our group had been killed. It made the front page of the local paper. These people have been really great to us over the last few years.

:tab The brief article in the paper stated that Mark was an experienced rider, his speed was estimated at just over 60mph, and the posted limit was 60mph. Their detailed analysis simply stated that he failed to negotiate a curve, rode the bike in the ditch for a hundred feet or so, separated from the bike, and then he slid another 300 feet before impacting a tree. They did not portray him as some kind of lunatic speed freak squid.

:tab I ran up 149 to the accident scene just to have a look for my own peave of mind. It has only raised more questions for me. The "curve" was so slight as to be difficult to capture in a picture. From the direction he was travelling, he crested a gentle hill, the road made a very gentle long left hander, basically a gravy curve. Looking at the point where the bike left the pavement, there was no indication that he made any attempt whatsoever to make the corner. He simply continued in a straight line into the ditch, rode the bike about 150 feet, the rear slid out to the right and he immediately highsided onto the right side. The bike veered off a little back to parallel with the road, he continued straight towards the only tree within a hundred yards. The bike missed the tree by five or six feet coming to a rest about 30 feet beyond the tree.

:tab From the looks of the bike, Mark came down quite hard. We will never know if he was conscious after the fall. An instant later, his head made contact with the trunk of the tree. The visor was split down the middle. The chin bar was completely severed through on one side and mostly crushed on the other. He suffered pretty severe head trauma. There was very little blood despite the severity of the injury, leading to the conclusion that his heart had stopped beating almost instantly. I truly believe he was gone the moment he hit the tree and did not linger or suffer, a blessing in the middle of the tragedy. From the point where he and the bike parted ways, he slid maybe another 100 feet.

:tab This is a road that Mark knew intimately. The police opined that he crested the hill and was surprised by the "sudden" left turn and simply failed to make the corner. Having ridden with Mark, I firmly believe this to be a total load of B.S.!! He knew the corner, the road itself held no surprises.

:tab While I was out wandering the accident scene, Keith Curtis drove up in his truck. You may remember that he made the first post letting us know someone had gone down. We spent more than an hour just mulling over the site looking for clues. All we found were his glasses and a few bits of fairing pieces. The mechanics of what happened once he left the road seem fairly clear. We just cannot figure out what would have caused him to leave the road.

:tab There is a four way intersection at the crest of the hill. FM 149 does not have a stop. It may be possible that someone pulled out from the left side into his lane and he had to swerve to miss rear ending them, which would have put him right at the point where he left the road. However, He would have easily been able to see any vehicle on the left or right side and would have been watching for something that dumb. So while this may be possible, I just don't think it likely.

:tab Many people have suggested that a deer may have run out in front of him. While this is also possible, again, I think it unlikely. The area around the intersection is clear and there really isn't anywhere that a deer could have been hidden from his view as he approached. So if there was one, he would have had ample opportunity to slow down. Even if he didn't have time, I don't think Mark would have swerved to avoid a deer. The best chance for survival is to brake really hard and hope the deer moves to either side. There were no skids marks at all. Swerving puts the bike into an unstable position making the potential for disaster even greater if impact occurs. With a big bike, taking the deer broadside would be the best chance for survival. Mark was an experienced rider and deer were nothing new to him.

:tab I believe that short of some kind of major mental lapse or sudden health impairment, the most likely cause was an oncoming vehicle. An oncoming vehicle would have been coming up a steeper incline and would not have been able to see as far through the corner. There are tons of large trucks hauling hay and cattle trailers on this road, as well as logging trucks. My experience, as recent as this morning, is that these folks are quite lazy when it comes to making sure they stay on their side of the road. If an oncoming vehicle met Mark in the corner and it was over the double yellow and he swerved right to avoid it, this too would have put his bike right at the spot where he left the pavement. Unless the driver of the vehicle did an immediate mirror check, he probably would never even have noticed that Mark left the road. Mark was headed down the backside of the hill and the oncoming vehicle would be headed down the front side, the hill top blocking the view between them.

:tab Please realize that this is just an educated guess on our part. We will never really know as there were no witnesses. We don't know who found him or made the call to the police. While Keith and I were at the site, a lady drove up in a truck. She told us that she arrived moments before the police, checked Mark for a pulse and he was already dead. When the police arrived, she immediately went home, called her Pastor and they spent some time praying for Mark and his family.

:tab Keith and I headed back to King's for lunch. Then I went back to the Funeral home to meet Kim. She finalized the details for the viewing and services. Then we went to Conroe to get Mark's bike from the towing company. Mark and Kim's friend, Andy, arrived with a truck and trailer. The towing company wanted to charge $600 for towing the bike a whole 30 miles!! :angryfir: They were trying to charge for services they did not render, for use of a truck that was not used, and for supposedly having to wait two hours before towing the bike!! I cannot believe this was outright fraud!! Then they "graciously" lowered the price to $412 and acted like there were doing Kim a favor. Despite what Kim has been going through, which they were fully aware of, the guy behind the counter starts copping some serious attitude :huh: :shooter:

:tab After Kim has to spend thirty minutes going off to get the title transfer notarized so she could take possessionof the bike, the guy tells her the price. She offers her credit card and he tosses it back at her saying they take cash ONLY, no exceptions. When we asked why we weren't told this before when speaking with them on the phone, he flatly stated it was because no one asked!! Fortunately, Andy's bank was nearby and he got enough to cover the cost. Beth came down later and met us with money so we could repay Andy as he could not afford to have the money out for more than a few days and fortunately we can afford to wait for her death benefits to pay us back.

:tab Long story short, they will be hearing from an attorney, the state body regulating towing services, etc,... We got the bike and loaded it up. The right side is pretty much trashed. The front right side of the dash is completely shoved over to the left, the forks are bent slightly, and the grips are banged up. There was nothing to indicate that there may have been a mechanical problem with the bike, no leaking oil or radiator fluids, the tires looked perfect. Just more unanswered questions. Beth met us at the Cycleshack in Conroe and we took the bike back to Kim's.

:tab After making sure she was okay and that everything was taken care of, Beth and I left and headed back up to Kings for the Bike Night. We had a nice turn out. We spent the evening reflecting on the accident, talking about Mark, and just generally keeping each other company. It was nice and I know Mark really wanted to be there. Debbie had a really nice group shot of all of us from the Hodges Garden ride in July of this year. Mark really had a fantastic time on that ride and was looking forward to doing more in the future.

:tab I have to tell you that it is really amazing to see the outpouring of support and offers of help from all the people I've been hearing from. I have tried to let Kim know that she has a lot of people standing with her even though she doesn't know them and has never met most of them. I really think it makes a difference. Thanks.

Adios,

[afterburn]

Just read about this on ceracing.com. My condolences to Kim and Andy for their loss and I'm glad to see they have such good friends to take care of them in these hard times.

[vessmech]

I was at a recent bike night event at Kings with Mark and his family present. Even though I never really got a chance to speak with him, I felt I had known him through his postings here. This is sad day for everyone here.

My thoughts and prayers for the family.

God speed Mark.

[VFRinAustin]

This really sucks :(

All our condolences to Kim and Andy, and can only wish godspeed to Mark.


Scott, its really nice to hear that they have such good friends in yourself and Belth that you can help out as much as you are.


All, please take care out there. As we are apparently seeing here, you can be a very compitent rider but, you never know what might be on the other side of the rise.

[AggieVFR]

Having lost an uncle through a freak accident this summer, I can somewhat understand the questions that are going through everyone's heads right now. I truly feel for Mark's family and hope that they can find some comfort through these trying times. Through our e-mails and banter on twtex and on the VFR list, I really felt like I got to know Mark without ever meeting him face to face. I hope Kim and Andy take comfort in the fact that he will be missed by all and that we will celebrate his life the way he would have wanted us to.

Godspeed Mark.

[Anonymous]

He once owned a Harley Davidson and a Triumph Bonneville.
Counted his friends in burned-out spark plugs
and prays that he always will.
But he's the last of the blue blood greaser boys
all of his mates are doing time:
married with three kids up by the ring road
sold their souls straight down the line.

And some of them own little sports cars
and meet at the tennis club do's.
For drinks on a Sunday work on Monday.
They've thrown away their blue suede shoes.

Now they're too old to Rock'n'Roll and they're too young to die.

Godspeed Mark.

[Thermalser]

Scott

Thanks for the update. And thanks for stepping up and providing the great support to Marks family in this great time of need. You and Beth are wonderful, caring people.

Also appreciate the fact that your are trying to find the answers to the questions a lot of us have been thinking about involving this tradgedy. This is a road many of us have spent a good deal of time on and your insights are welcomed in the hopes that we may keep our travels as safe as possible.

[leeroy]

Scott, You and Beth are the definition of class.Iwant to thank you for everything you do. My thoughts and prayers are with you and Marks wife and son. Godspeed.

[Mark's Gal]

First let me say thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. Andy and I will need all the support we can get to make it through. Mark was indeed truly the finest man I have ever known. You all knew him as a friend and he touched each of your lives. He touched mine and Andy's in a way that I feel blessed to have at least had him in our lives for a little while. As a husband he would have made every woman jealous to know how he treated and pampered me; as a daddy every boy in the neighborhood wanted to be at our house (even when Andy wasn't here) Mark was a big kid himself and had a love for children as much as his love for motorcycles. He was building our dream home that he designed himself and everyday he'd come home and tell me of the changes he'd made and be so excited because they were things he would think of just to impress me. On his way up to King's Cafe he stopped by to check on the construction of it so I know he was tickled, the windows were hung and the hardy plank had been hung and it was really coming along. He was contracting it himself and was so very proud of the success he had accomplished thus far. So he was on cloud nine after seeing it. So he was feeling good riding his favorite bike on one of his favorite roads. That's why I want to have the celebration party out there. I will keep Scott up to date on things and let you all know when.

Thanks again for all your prayers and for being there when Andy and I will be reaching out for friends to comfort us.

Kim Eggers

[Anonymous]

http://www.epowersports.com/enthusiast_oct11.htm

[Anonymous]

Sorry, I have only known Mark through his wonderful wife Kim. He is one of the most extraordinary people I have ever known and ever expect to know. Kim, I am more sorry than I can ever express. I know what you had and lost. I know you will find strength through the person you are and the growth that knowing Mark has allowed you. Anyhow the previous link is to a great story that Mark wrote.

[scratch]

http://www.epowersports.com/enthusiast_oct11.htm

After reading that story, along with the anecdotes that others have given about their relationships with Mark, one comes away with the impression that he had a lot of optimism and courage, besides being just plain tough. I regret that I never had the pleasure of meeting or corresponding with him. My condolences go out to his wife, his family and friends, but also my envy, because you were blessed to have had this very special person in your lives. That we could all have been so fortunate...

[figment]

so very sorry to hear this. After reading the numerous replies and the article about his Viffer it is obvious, the loss to all, including those like myself who never got to meet Mark.

May the God of all comfort hold those of you who are grieving under His wing. Amen.

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab The viewing is today from 5-8pm. The funeral home is just off of I-45 in Willis. Take the FM 1097 exit and head West. They are on the left a few miles down, hard to miss.

Addison-Smith Funeral Home
10129 W. FM 1097
Willis, TX 77318
936-890-0454

The Memorial service is tomorrow at 2:00pm, same location.

If you'd like to ride your bike to either service, feel free. Kim does not have a problem with it.

Adios,

[Rdslvr04]

What can one say but that it was a privilage to ride w/ Mark and a real honor to met Kim and Andy. Our prayers and well wishes our w/ you both.

Sincerely

Vittorio & Emily.

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab The wake yesterday evening was really nice. One of the other members of the Houston Sportbike Netwrok printed out some enlarged pictures from the July Hodges Gardens trip this summer. They came out great! Kim framed them and they were on display. All of the family really seemed to appreciate that. Thanks to those of you that made it out to pay your respects. I hope to see a few of you at the service this afternoon if you can make it. It is at 2:00pm at the funeral home there in Willis.

Adios,

[texmex1]

Scott, unfortunatley I am still sick, so please give her a big hug for me.....
It was really nice to see her and Andy Sat night....

[bbaker]

All:
Allow me to introduce myself, which will make this easier to understand. My name is Bobby Baker, my wife is Michelle Baker. Michelle is Mark Eggers sister. My mother in law is Marilyn Eggers, Mark's mom, making me the brother in law. I have been part of their family for 21+ years. I knew Mark when he was 16, asked his permission to marry his sister and have known Mark thru many years and became his friend.

Not sure where to start. First off, this thread is unbelievable. Michelle & Marilyn will find it amazing that Mark had such a wide group of great buddies and supporters -far beyond what they knew.

Next, I met Scott Friday at the funeral today (Nov 11th), based on Michelle's strong recommendation. I've know Scott Friday for 30 mins, and I already know he is one of the greatest folks I will ever know. Scott helped me locate the accident scene, something Mark's mom & sister wanted to understand. We visted the site and left flowers next to the shitty tree, flowers my own parents sent on Mark's behalf. Thanks to Scott Friday, Mark's mom & sister now better understand what happened. I must say, they are very appreciative of this help, Scott, and you have helped them in their grieveing.

Only thing left to solve is why he & the bike left the road. Based on what I saw, Scott F. is correct, there was NO visability issue, there was NO sharp, immediate curve. If not an unfortunately timed medical issue, the only explaination could be an avoidance maneuver. The land owner came out while we looked at the scene and explained that this location was known for many nasty accidents (he had to replace his fence 6 times in 2 yrs). Mark would not have left the road abritrarily. Again, I have know Mark for over 21+ years. He was the poster boy for safe riding. The mystery to all of us is why his bike left the road. I'm not a rider, so any theories offered are much appreciated.

Word may be circulating that a benefit could be planned to help Kim & Andy. Please also consider Mark's mom & sister in this, not from a monetary perspective, but from a personal one. In the event a benefit was to occur, please contact me. The one thing I do have to offer is one one or more live bands -> I am the lead guitar player in a classic/new rock band. I will offer my band to play for free, maybe more bands, to draw more folks and more money as desired. My home email is rbaker5@houston.rr.com, home phone is 281-655-0286. Please keep us informed as Mark's mom & sister would appreciate that.

Thanks again to Scott Friday for your unselfish help.
BB

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab One other new wrinkle. It appears that there was in fact a witness. We are trying to get the information to contact the witness. This person supposedly saw Mark leave the road. We are also waiting on Autopsy results, although I am not real sure how much it can tells us other than it was not a heart attack.

:tab We are still not sure about the insurance situation. That may take a while. Also, with the holidays fast approaching, I am not sure how well we could do a benefit and get any kind of turnout. WE may do a party in the next week or two and then do soem kind of fundraiser benefit later. I will have to work with Kim and the family to plan this. Right now I kind of want to leave Kim alone. The last week has really taken its' toll on her emotionally, mentally, and physically. She needs some time to come down off the last week and decompress. The house is nowhere near completion so we still have some time before anything definite needs to be done.

:tab Thanks to everyone that made it out to the wake and the services today. The service was really nice.

Adios,

[texmex1]

Scott, I am in for anything I can do with regards to a fundraiser or memorial party....
I do wish I could of made it out yesterday.... :|

[forest007]

I lost contact with Mark after selling him my 82 Suzuki RM250 a few years ago. I tried in vain to re-establish contact with him over the years with no luck. Yesterday, I finally read our local Woodlands paper about his accident and death. I worked with Mark in the Engineering field (Piping design) and we met first at either S&B Engineering or Parsons (I can't remember which). He helped me get a job with him working at Waukesha Pearce a few years later. I'm disappointed that I didn't find out in time to attend any of the services but would like to attend any future celebrations of his life. My Wife and I would like to be kept in the loop as far as a time, date and location of any event honoring Mark. He was a heck of a guy and we will miss him much. I would appreciate being put in contact with his family if possible.

Miss ya buddy!

Forest and Robin Smith
281-288-0221 hm 832-457-3273 cell
28823 Stapleford dr
Spring, TX 77386

[Tourmeister]

Howdy Forest,

Kim reads the board occasionally and this thread in particular. We are still waiting to find out about the insurance situation. Hopefully, that will take care of any financial concerns and we can just have a party for fun. Otherwise, we will try our hand at doing some serious fund raising. The goal would be right at $250K! Or at least enough that we could get the house payment down to an amount that Kim could handle on her own. Check back here for details about any events.

Adios,

[Mark's Gal]

Thanks Scott, I actually read it almost daily. It helps me feel close to Mark. I miss him sooo very much it is hard to handle coming home and not being able to snuggle up to him. He was the one that took my pain away when I had any. He was the one that made my world a better place. I am trying to make it day by day most of the time minute by minute, I've gone back to work just to stay busy because my mornings at home alone are unbearable. We've continued construction on the house since it has to be done no matter what and one of Mark's good friends that just finished their house; Rick has been helping me along. Especially since the guy that was to do the roof is trying to rip me off now that Mark is gone. He said things that Mark told him that I know were flat out lies and he kept trying to throw in another 500.00 somewhere even down to the point where he said the framers didn't put in enough nails in the decking so he was going to have to charge me another 500.00 to put the nails in himself. That has been settled, my framers who were at the funeral came out and added more nails at no cost but I am in shock that someone would try to take advantage of me at a time like this. We are going to try and do as much of the finish work ourselves and could use anybody with any knowledge on it to lend a hand if possible in hopes to keep the cost down. Rick says we are capable of doing all the painting indoors and out and we are capable of the molding and tile laying. He & I both hope it will save a substatial amount. So if a fundraiser is needed it might make things a little easier. I won't know anything about the insurance until I am able to send the form in with a death certificate which I still do not have since an autopsy was ordered. I guess everything takes awhile. Including finding Mark's wedding band. I can't find it and it has been really bothering me, it wasn't just his wedding band it was engraved inside the band. Our movie is The Princess Bride so I had it engraved "As you wish". Mark always told me whenever I asked him anything "As you wish" because if you've seen the movie then you know that meant "I Love You". I'm sorry I am babbling on I just miss him so much I don't know what to do with my time. I just need to get it out I suppose. Anyway thanks for your time.
Kim Eggers

[Tourmeister]

Kim,

:tab I would suspect that the wedding band may have been removed. It is very unlikely that it came off during the accident. I ocassionally will remove mine when riding if my fingers are swelling. Do you know if Mark ever did this? If not, the funeral home should have it if they have his other personal effects like his wallet, etc,... If not, then someone somewhere along the line is feeding you a line of B.S. I'd hate to think someone would steal it though.

:tab Also, I've not been waiting to contact you because I wanted to give you some time. However, if it is alright with you, I'd like to come get Mark's bike, bring it here and clean it up so we can get a good idea of what might need fixing. I've already had a few people contact me about it and I've put them on indefinite hold. Most people are of the opinion that parting it out will bring in the most money. Some people would like to see someone fix it up and keep it in the TWT community. Just let me know when you are up for a visit.

:tab Regarding a party/dinner fundraiser. Again, that is on your schedule. There is no need to rush it. Also, with the Holiday season upon us, many people may have trouble making it. Perhaps some time in January after New Years? Or would you like to try to do something between Thanksgiving and Christmas? Just let me know. Feel free to contact me by phone or my email address: tourmeister@twtex.com

:tab How's Andy doing?

Adios,

[scratch]

...We are going to try and do as much of the finish work ourselves and could use anybody with any knowledge on it to lend a hand if possible in hopes to keep the cost down. Rick says we are capable of doing all the painting indoors and out and we are capable of the molding and tile laying. He & I both hope it will save a substatial amount.

Kim Eggers

How about if everybody gets together and we have a "TWT painting day"? If enough people participate, most of it could be done in a single session. Same for the molding and tile laying for that matter. Put my name in the hat if you want to consider something like this. I'm not exactly Michelangelo, but I have painted a few ceilings in my time. :wink:

[Tourmeister]

:tab Careful there Paul... we have some painting to do very soon... :-P With any luck, we will be rid of our contractors within a week!! Then I can put this whole sordid experience behind me :roll:

Adios,

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab Kim made it out to the bike night last week at King's. I had a chance to speak with her for a bit. She's doing as well as can be expected under the circumstances. The autopsy was finally released. Conclusion? Death caused by multiple severe blunt trauma to the head. No kidding. I spoke with a doctor friend of mine about this. According to him, there is not much that would indicate something like a heart attack other than an actual dissection of the arteries of the heart to look for visible blockage. Considering that Mark was not the President or some other public bigwig, it is unlikely that such a detailed autopsy was performed. So in the end, the autopsy seems a little pointless.

:tab However, in retrospect, Kim has reached the point where the autopsy results really don't mean a whole lot. Knowing exactly what happened to Mark won't bring him back. While she is obviously still grieving, she does seem to have reached a level of acceptance. I think that is a remarkable testament to her character given how long it can take for many people to reach the place of acceptance.

:tab On another note, she has gone to file the paperwork to start a small claims suit against the towing company for their fraudulent behavior following the accident. The local judge is a witness for her so the case will have to be heard by a nonlocal judge. This should prove interesting to say the least.

:tab There is no update yet regarding the life insurance issue. She is still waiting for a death certificate. Without it, nothing can be done :x The sooner she can get it and start the process of tying up loose ends, the sooner she can really start moving forward with her life. There have been a few issues with the contractors working on their house. She seems to have straightened out those morons. :roll: Given our own contractor issues, I can sympathize a small bit.

:tab Andy is doing well. His Scout troop has been very supportive. He too made it to the last bike night. He must really think we are a bunch of goofy adults ;-)

:tab That's about it for now. I'll post more later as I find out stuff.

Adios,

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab Now that the holiday season is behind us and I got time off from work, we finally went down to Kim's last night and picked up Mark's VF1000R to bring back up to our house. KAWA_JM showed up and helped me get it out of her garage and onto the trailer. We've got it in our garage now. I hope to pull off the body work and give it a good going over to find out for sure what might be broken. The bodywork is pretty beat up. It is the old fiberglass style. A quick looking over seems to indicate that there really isn't anything mechanical that is broken. The bars and pegs look fine. The forks don't look twisted. Other than the bodywork, it looks like the main upper fairing stay is bent from the impact on the right side. Hopefully, it can be bent back out. I plan to pull the plugs and check the airbox for oil before we try to crank it up. Ideally, we can sell it whole. If not, then it may bring more money in to part it out. I'd hate to do that as I would rather see someone riding it and enjoying it, Kim feels the same way. We'll see.

Adios,

[Tourmeister]

Howdy, this is a repost of Kim's update from 02/15/04:

Hello Friends,

It is past time to update all of you of the events of Andy's and my life. First let me say thank you, for if it wasn't for many of you we'd have never made it thus far.

I should let all of you that don't know, Mark's life insurance did pay off entirely. I was more than pleased and even in disbelief when the phone call came in. I want to thank Diane Nelson at Principle Life for actually being human and caring and trying to understand what I was going through. I actually felt like I was talking to a human being rather than an insurance rep. At times when I would loose composure she was always there to try and understand and make things simpler. No matter how many questions I asked (which were numerous as you can imagine) she would answer them over and over again.

Though I am in love with the house that Mark and I were building, I felt it carried too many memories of what would never be. Moving Andy to a new school district when about to start junior highschool just didn't seem right either. Andy has had the same friends since second grade and I actually like the friends he has chosen so far. Can't say as I would if he had to start over. I also thought that he'd had enough loss in his life for now and that moving to a new school away from his already established friends would just be another loss for him. So we decided to purchase a home in a neighborhood that we actually already have friends living in. Andy is out riding his bike now with a friend, and I am feeling good about this. The construction on the other house is still taking place and should be just about done and ready to put up for sale in a month or so. I'm looking at spring to have that celebration for Mark, when the house is done and we can all enjoy what Mark worked so hard to acheive.

I want to extend a special thank you to some of you. Paul Yamarick and Paul Massie for coming out that Saturday and helping me move. That was no easy day. I owe you both for all the hard work you two put in. Paul Massie I want to thank you for being a friend, I know it's been hard but you gave me friendhip when I needed it most; even if the dancing lessons were a flop. Scott I want to thank you for taking on Mark's bike and being a friend to talk to. Beth, thank you for allowing Scott yet another bike in the garage and for also being a friend. Chris, thanks or taking on Andy's dirtbike, I am sure that is not going to be an easy job either. Thank Marilyn for me for allowing you to have yet another bike in your garage. Everyone that came out and made my birthday special that night at King's Cafe, thank you. Thanks for the flowers Debbie, it was very thoughtful. Yulia, thank you for offering to help if I needed when it came to the insurance claim; I'm glad it wasn't though. So many of you have given of yourselves to me in the last few months and I wanted to be sure that you all knew that I am greatly appreciative of all you have done. Andy and I are continuing on; some days easier than others but we are making it with the continued frienship we have found here amongst all of you and with our cub scout family.

There are many things in our lives that are changing and I am sure I have not mentioned everything here but if any of you want to know feel free to ask. I'd enjoy the conversation.

Enjoy the sunshine God has been so graciously to give us today.

Kim Eggers

Adios,

[Anonymous]

I'm just checking in to see if any plans have been made for
Marks's celebration. I just read Kim's recent letter so I'm glad I haven't missed it yet. I just hope that when it is scheduled, that someone would drop me a line or give me a ring so my family can attend.

Thanks,

Forest Smith
fws007@yahoo.com
281-288-0221

[Chris-V65Magna-TX]

Anybody heard from Kim regarding a get-together this summer?

Just curious if anyone on this board sees Kim often enought to pass along any info. I would call in sick (cough, wheeze ;) just to make it. I usually have to work weekends.

Also what's the latest on Marks VF1000F and the new owner?

Thx.

[Mark's Gal]

Anybody heard from Kim regarding a get-together this summer?

Just curious if anyone on this board sees Kim often enought to pass along any info. I would call in sick (cough, wheeze ;) just to make it. I usually have to work weekends.

Also what's the latest on Marks VF1000F and the new owner?

Thx.Hi Chris,

I still read the boards and I will plan something for this summer for sure. Still trying to get the house squared away at the moment.
Thanks for your inquiry and Mark's bike is coming along quite nicely, Mike is almost done with the mechanics of it, all that's really left is the fiberglass work.

Smiles

[Chris-V65Magna-TX]

Good to hear from you Kim! Thanks for the update.
Are you still working at the same place in Conroe? Terri and I might bring Megan by so you can see her! She just turned 10 months and she's quite a firecracker! :)

[Mark's Gal]

Yes I am still working at the same place in Conroe and would love to see how beautiful Megan has grown. Drop by anytime.

Smiles,
Kim

[Pappa]

anyone curios to see if Mark's bike still runs check out my webshots album.


i think this link will work

http://community.webshots.com/photo/117963686/117964259eAYLlD


if not let me know

just click on the arrows at the top right and it will take you thru the pics.

a new fairing bracket and fairing will be needed,but i am still trying to fix what i have of the old ones.

I will be taking the bike to the ROT Rally in austin. So if anyone sees it there feel free to say hello.

Pappa

[Mark's Gal]

Thanks for posting those Mike, it's coming along nicely. Mark would be happy.

Kim Eggers

[Anonymous]

no problem :-D


Pappa

[forest007]

Just checking to see if a party has been scheduled to celebrate Mark's life. I still want to meet Kim and his friends.

Please drop me a line 'cause I don't check here very much!
fws007@yahoo.com

Thanks!


Forest Smith
281-288-0221
832-457-3273

[Tourmeister]

:tab Nov 5th will mark the one year anniversary of Mark's accident. I think I may ride out to the site and spend a bit just hanging out thinking about the whole riding thing, family, and what's really important. Anyone here have any decent woodworking or metalworking skills? I would like to place a marker on the site. Anyone that would like to join me is welcome, I'll figure out a time and post it here.

Adios,

[Snoopster]

Let me know if you need a donation for that. I'm sure Kim would appreciate the gesture. It's hard to believe that it has been a year. I think of him everytime I pass that spot. He is still deeply missed.

[Fangs]

The memory of that day really has not faded much for me like I thought it would. I still struggle with the thought of riding versus not riding.

I'll watch for your post Scott regarding meeting at the site as I would like to be there.

[Tourmeister]

I think Beth and I will head out there this evening after I get off work. Probably won't get out there until 5:30-6:00pm. Although, since I am on call, that can all instantly go out the window :roll:

[Fangs]

Working tonight. I'll stop by the site another day.

[Pappa]

It has taken a while ,alot of financial hardtimes have hit us BUT we are trudging thru. My complete restoration of MARK"s bike was not completed .
I have however made it into a nice looking and running street bike again.
I did the fiberglass work to the front fairing and took care of some motor issues and suspension issues.
I have tried to add a few pics of this bike as it sits now just waiting for me to get up enough money to get ins,plates,etcs (legal isssues)
The only thing missing is the doors on the lower faring , ( ijust forgot to put them in until after the pic was taken.
Through it all I have kept up my word NOT to sale the bike.

I can proudly say I have one heck of a ride.

One other thing to Mark's family.........HE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN!

God Bless to all

[Pappa]

oh yea one other thing. Dont know if i mentioned it before but we no longer have the bike shop in Comfort tx. We now live in Spring Branch tx (near canyon lake) and now working on getting a shop that i currently work at in Canyon Lake tx

[Tourmeister]

:clap: :clap:

Awesome!! Good to hear from you Mike! I don't know if Kim still gets notices for replies to this thread, but we will let her know. It would be really cool if you guys could make it to one of our Pie Runs to meet everyone and show off the bike! Look in the TWT Sponsored Events forum for info on the Pie Run location and time. It is a great way to meet a lot of the TWT people and EAT! :eat:

[Pappa]

As soon as finances are a little better we will definately be at a run of some kind.

Auto repair is slow these days and i work on commission.
but it will get better soon.

Then dont be surprised if your cruisi'n the roads and this awesome lookin bike comes toolin around you....lol

[Pappa]

It has been a few years since i last posted in here. I wanted everyone to know Mark's bike is safe still runs and is ridden regularly.
I reread the full post and decided it was well past due for me to post and show pics of the bike.
The bike rest on my deck in front of my house, guarded well ( jack russell and smith and wesson)
I went out and took pics just minutes before writing this post. I also noticed my plates are expired ( OOPS).
i am going to try to post the pics hopefully it works.

If Kim is still reading this thread i hope she will like knowing that Mark's bike is still around and handing out fun by the fistfuls.

Instead of building steps on our deck we built a ramp so we could keep our bikes on the deck until the garage is built.:)


Pappa

[Tourmeister]

:tab Hey Pappa! Good to hear from you and glad to see the bike is still being ridden. I know that would have meant a lot to Mark. That was a special bike for him. To my knowledge, Kim no longer follows this thread or even comes to the site. She was not a rider. Also, I think she finally managed to put this behind her, as much as that is possible, and last I heard, she had met a new guy that was really good for her.

:tab I find myself thinking about Mark a lot every year about this time. He was a great guy. Some time back I was contacted by his daughter from his first marriage. Her mom left him when the daughter was 12 years old and she had not seen Mark again. She was in her first year of college when she contacted me. She had been googling his name trying to find a way to contact him. She found this thread. That is how she learned of his death. Obviously she was shocked to learn of it. However, she told me that reading this thread over and over really helped her to deal with her grief. Her Mom had always made Mark out to be some kind of monster, something the daughter did not recall before he left. Reading this thread and the comments of other people about Mark helped to confirm what she remembered about her Dad being a great guy. We exchanged a few PM's, but I don't know if she ever comes here anymore either.