Randy Riddell Remembered by Memorial Ride

In the early morning on Saturday February 22, 2014 the roar of engines alerted the neighborhood that a group of motorcycle riders were arriving in the parking lot of the Pinnacle Peak Steak House in Colton. Each rider was greeted by Colton resident Lillie Riddell with a hug and a big smile as she gave each rider a lime green ribbon and bracelet. “These colors stand for the fight against lymphoma,” she said as she explained the reason behind the small gifts, “After a while, lime green became our favorite color.” Riddell had invited her friends and family to come out to the first annual Ride for Randy, a memorial motorcycle ride in honor of her late husband Randy Riddell. Randy passed away from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma a year ago on February 20, 2013, and it was his love of riding motorcycles that prompted her to remember him in this very unique style. Pinnacle Peak was one of his favorite restaurants, so Riddell felt it was important to begin the memorial ride there. Randy’s long time friend Ed Canela shared his memories by saying, “Randy had always been the ‘go to’ guy in our circle of friends. He was a big guy, recognizable in an instant. He loved to ride and everywhere we went, he would treat people like he’d known them for his whole life. They would always recognize him when he rode in there again. One time, we went all the way to Mexico, and when they saw him coming, they cleared out a spot for us to park even though it was a very busy weekend. They recognized him, and welcomed him because of how he had been with them. He was an awesome guy.” Medical issues had been a part of Randy’s life since he was very young. Having a heart attack at the age of 37, he had to have a quadruple bypass in 1986 and eight months later had to have another one when the graft sites closed up. That left him permanently disabled, so he stayed home from work playing ‘Mr. Mom’, explained his wife Lillie. He had been instrumental in raising his now 20-year-old granddaughter Erica Ramirez, and it was something that he proudly held close to his heart. “And Erica loved her ‘Poppie’ as much as any daughter could love her father,” said Riddell. “He loved camping, playing golf, and being with family and friends, especially from our close knit neighborhood,” said Riddell of her husband. Josiane Roman told stories of camping trips and the table of friends and family she was sitting with all joined in laughing and remembering the details of Randy’s role in making everyone laugh. A few days before his passing, Riddell explained, Randy had told her he was in the mood for a potluck, so they had called the neighborhood, his friends and family together for a potluck to celebrate the time together. “He passed away just a few days later,” said Riddell, “and when I thought about honoring him with a Memorial Ride, I knew it had to end with a neighborhood potluck.” Randy’s motorcycle was sitting out in front, decked out with green and white balloons. A slide show of pictures throughout his life played in the garage as a DJ played some of his favorite music. Friends and family were laughing and sharing stories of how Randy had positively impacted their lives. “It was just wonderful for all of his friends and family to show up the day they did. It was really sad but it was really a joy for me to be able to share his memory with everyone who loved him so much,” Riddell said, "He was such a wonderful husband and a friend to all." [END] Event title: A Ride For Randy Date: Saturday Feb 22, 2014 Time: Begins at 10:30am Event location: Pinnacle Peak Address: 2533 S La Cadena, Colton Description: Widow Lillian Riddell is having a Memorial Ride for her late husband Randy who passed from lymphoma CONTACT INFO Phone: 909-855-2623 Email: lillygirl54@roadrunner.com FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DATE Contact Person: Lillian Riddell Phone # 909-855-2623 Short Description: Widow Lillian Riddell is having a motorcycle memorial ride in honor of her late husband Randy who passed from lymphoma; motorcyclists will be meeting at Pinnacle Peak around 10:30am and then going on about a 2 hour ride, to then return to her home for a BBQ and memorial tributes at her home. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION (Article that you can find on GT's front online page towards the bottom): Family Donates in Honor of Loved One In accordance with the wishes of her husband Brace “Randy” Williams, Grand Terrace resident Loraine Williams on June 22 made a $1,000 donation to the San Bernardino Animal Shelter. Brace Randall Williams, known by his friends as Randy, passed away at his Grand Terrace home on May 29, after his battle with brain cancer. He was 54 years old. According to his wife of over 26 years, Loraine, Randy’s wish was for “friends and family to adopt a pet from the local animal shelter or help fund an adoption, or several.” “He adored his adopted ‘furred herd,’ and a few of them were there to meet him at the ‘rainbow bridge,’” Loraine said. Loraine made the donation last month, requesting that the donation be used toward the adoption of animals. On June 22, the day of her donation, 21 animals were adopted from the San Bernardino Animal Shelter, according to a statement released by the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department. Born in Riverside and raised in Highgrove, Randy was a Grand Terrace resident for the last 26 years. Recently, he retired from the Riverside County Information Technology Department, Loraine shared. “He was admired by his co-workers for his strength, work ethic and sense of humor,” she said. Randy was a fan of science fiction and fact, NASA, Doc Savage, comic book superheroes and Disneyland, to name a few. He enjoyed jazz music, Diana Krall (whom he met last year at the Hollywood Bowl), Pat Metheny, the Moody Blues and other artists, and TV shows such as The Walking Dead, the Big Bang Theory and Dexter. Randy was hugely involved in his community, participating in events like Market Night, Movies in the Park, Pancake Breakfasts and Friends of the Library book sales, Loraine noted. Working toward his black belt, Randy studied Tae Kwon Do at Golden Tiger Tae Kwon Do in San Bernardino and at Kicks in Colton. “He was an integral part of the Grand Terrace Community Players and played Pop Bailey in ‘It’s A Wonderful Life’ in December 2009 at the Grand Terrace Community Center,” said Loraine. Randy is survived by his wife Loraine; daughters Bonnie and Eva; his aunt Alice Hampton of Grand Terrace; his aunt and uncle Howard and Ann Williams of Vista, Calif.; his brother Dana of St. George, Utah; brother Mark of Imperial Beach, Calif.; brother Cory of San Bernardino; brother Brad of Corona; sister Cynthia of Bend, Oregon; sister Darcy of Palatka, Fla.; sister Colleen of Roseville, Calif.; and his unofficially “adopted” kids Heather, Merisa, Jason and Lisa, as well as many other family members. For those who would like to donate items or services to the San Bernardino Animal Shelter, or who would like to adopt a pet, the San Bernardino Animal Shelter is located at 333 Chandler Place in San Bernardino.