[ORRando] Steve Gitchell

Theo Elliot Roffe theoelliot at gmail.com
Fri Jan 18 16:44:37 PST 2013


It saddens me to share this news, but fellow Oregon Randonneur Steve
Gitchell died this week.  He was 64.

I am grateful to have known Steve, to have had the chance to ride with him
(he was RUSA 5099), to see him unexpectedly around town (he was always
riding one of his bikes around Portland), and for the talks we had.

We both showed up, a few years ago, at a garage sale out of Ira
Ryan's frame building shop and spent several hours talking; about his tours
in Vietnam, about bicycling, about love and relationships, about work, and
life, and change.

On the MAX, heading home from a populaire this past spring, he tried to
convince me to go into the French Foreign Legion.  I wasn't sure then, and
now I'll never know, if he was kidding, or serious.  He might have been
serious...

Another time, working with the Community Cycling Center's Bike Camp this
summer, Steve happened upon me and my group of campers.  He rode along with
us, keeping pace with a young girl who had only recently started riding
bikes, smiling, and helping us keep an eye on traffic and get through busy
intersections.

He was usually smiling (except for the time he told me that he was going to
kill me for the headwind on a ride I organized - he said I'd never see it
coming, but I suppose I can let my guard down now), always dapper, and
clearly loved riding his bike.

Here's a link to some pictures I took of Steve and one of his bikes:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/theoelliot/sets/72157632557062184/

And to an Oregon Herald article about his death:
http://www.oregonherald.com/oregon/local.cfm?id=2877&Business-News=Nweberg-man-found-dead-on-his-living-room-floor.htm

-Theo Roffe
Portland, OR
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