Billy Baehne – 4.22.90 to 6.27.14
Billy was born and raised in McHenry, IL. From the time he could ride a bike, he was riding a motorcycle. He was 100% boy, always in search of an outdoor adventure. He grew to live life on the edge, because in his mind, it was the only way to enjoy it. He was the only son to his Mom and Dad and brother to 2 sisters. For 20 years he was the only boy in the entire family, making him absolutely adored by his grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. He was also a very good friend to so many, always lending a helping hand when he could.
Just before Billy turned 18, he bought his first sport bike. He was no stranger to accidents, he had a few close calls and eventually totaled the bike when he was hit by a school bus. Yes, that’s right, he was hit by a school bus that pulled out from a stop sign, not looking before entering the roadway. Amazingly, he pulled through that with only minor injuries. From that day forward, Billy always rode in full gear, but still rode his heart out every chance he could. He bought a new bike a year later and was considered by many to be one of the best riders around.
Billy always knew that he would be on that bike when his time came to leave this earth. He told everyone that if he died on his bike, not to be sad, because he would be doing what made him the happiest. Everyone gave him a hard time for saying that, but in the end, it was the truth, and it was surprisingly comforting.
One day in the summer of 2014, Billy contacted nearly every one of his close friends and family to say hi and make plans to meet up, then went out to enjoy a late afternoon ride with his friends. As they were driving down Rt. 120, a truck pulling a generator pulled out in front of him. With cars on both sides, he had no where to go. Billy was killed instantly.
There are no words to describe the feelings and emotions of that day. All we can do is believe that there was a reason he was here and a reason he had to leave. Through the darkest days, his family and friends all knew they were blessed to have been a part of his short life and knew that the love he shared and the raw emotion he was never afraid to show, would change their lives forever.
The day of Billy’s wake, one of his good friends organized a motorcycle ride to the services
and had stickers made for everyone that said “I Ride With Billy.” The sentiment stuck and we see those stickers all over town. That group of riders made the earth tremble as they rolled up to that funeral home… no doubt Billy was smiling. As we celebrate the first birthday that we won’t be able to spend with him, we will all ride together again in remembrance of the son, brother, nephew, cousin, grandson and friend that we all miss so much.
Billy was also a true dog lover, always having 2-3 dogs at a time since he was born. During a difficult time in his life, we went as a family and rescued a pitbull. Or maybe I should say, that dog (Talon) rescued us all. Billy loved her with all his hearta and fell in love with the breed, even naming the company he founded when he was 22, Pitbull Enterprises. The year before before he passed, Billy adopted a Rottweiler (Kash) and gave a home to another Pitbull (Porscha). He was always a big supporter and believer in rescues and shelters. So we have chosen the shelter that we adopted Talon from as the recipient of all the proceeds of this run- Orphans of the Storm.
Ride with the angels Billy… we will never forget the love you shared or the lesson you taught us… LIVE YOUR LIFE.