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On
a most beautiful Sunday fall afternoon, over 50 cyclists from
the Roanoke Valley congregated for a dedication ceremony in
honor of Kevin Duddy who died on December 23, 2003. Kevin's
mother, Jeanne Duddy, was dedicating a bicycle rack that had
been installed at the beginning of the new Greenway at Smith
Park in Roanoke, Virginia.
A
blue tent housed a shrine of memorabilia, photos and other
personal items of Kevin. Against the bicycle rack leaned
the actual bicycle that Kevin trained and competed on and a
hockey jersey draped over the handlebars, Kevin's other love.
Jeanne
addressed the gatherers talking about Kevin, how he first road a
bike and the heartache of losing a son to suicide. But how
Kevin died was never the focus as was the life he lived.
This had been explained by Mike Duddy in Kevin's eulogy and was
prevalent on Sunday.
After
Jeanne spoke, the cyclists road the greenway for a ride with
Kevin's spirit. Upon the groups return, the day shifted to
celebration with the ribbon cutting ceremony for the Greenway at
Smith Park.
Steve
Buschor, Director of Roanoke City Parks & Recreation, City
Manager Darlene Burcham, City Council member Rupert Cutler and
Congressman Bob Goodlatte all spoke words of committed support
to the Greenway project.
After
the actual ribbon cutting, everyone attending was treated to
food, drink and fellowship in the park. |
