Today I have a very, VERY heavy heart. Yesterday I learned of the passing of a friend. Allie Daneman (aka Drainfade) left us yesterday at the age of 38. I miss him already.
I first met Allie 10 years ago, via the Pacific Northwest VFR list.
Having both grown up the S.F. Bay Area, we immediately hit it off. Allie was always a joy to ride with, we met up for rides often. He had and energy and passion for motorcycles that was infectious.
It was with great sorrow, we’d learned of his cancer diagnosis, just a short couple of years later. It was a grave prognosis. Melanoma. Skin cancer. And it was in an advanced stage. But he forged forward with the therapy. He told me about the horrendous descriptions of what the Chemotherapy would and could do to his body. But he had a great passion for life and his family, and he persevered.
He bravely fought the battle for 8 years. Far surpassing expectations of survival. He was, a fighter!
Recently he’d asked me a question about Short Course R/C truck (he has and SC10, similar to mine). Sadly, I didn’t find the answer to his question before he passed. Not that it matters any more, but I hate not having had the chance to be a friend to him, just one more time, and send some help his way.
Sadly, I didn’t know how badly things had recently being going for Allie. For those strong enough to read it, his blog tells the frank and sobering story of a man preparing for the end. It was difficult to read, but I felt important to do so.
I’m having a hard time getting my thoughts together today. I’m been in shock since I found out around 5:00PM yesterday. We had some great times, and when I started this entry… my intent was to focus on those good time, sharing a few stories… but.. I just can’t do it right now. Instead I’m including the obituary from his own website.
Allie George Daneman age 38 passed away on April 5, 2011, after a courageous 8-year-plus battle with melanoma. He is survived by his wife Jennifer of almost 13 years, their three children Ben (10), twins Toby and Jessi (8), brother (Jake), parents , Stepmother, Grandmother, Uncles, in-laws, brother-in-law, Stepfather. A native Californian, Allie was born on November 28, 1972 and grew up in San Francisco. He graduated from The Athenian High School, a Bay Area private college prep. school, in 1991. Allie holds a BS Degree in Business and Public Administration from U. of the Pacific, Stockton, CA. At UOP, he belonged to the Omega Phi Alpha Fraternity and played on the Lacrosse team. Allie worked as a Network Engineer for Alcatel-Lucent, T-Mobile USA Integrations Lab in Bellevue, WA. He loved to snow ski and snowboard. Allie was an avid motorcyclist and maintained a blog of his motorcycling exploits, culminating in his annual ride from Seattle, WA to the Laguna Seca MotoGp races in Monterey, CA. Motorcycling was more than a hobby for Allie–it was his passion. His family and friends will miss him immensely as his undying spirit freewheels in eternity. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Daneman Family Fund at US Bank. Memorial Service will be held on Friday, April 8, 2011
The silver lining in this, is that he’s at peace now. No longer in pain, and free to ride the skies at will.
Godspeed Allie. We’ll all miss you my friend. We’ll miss you a lot.
I’m just as much in shock as you are, my friend. Allie was a great guy and I wish I had taken the time to go out for a visit before things went so very, very dark. We’ll all have to remember him in our own way and in our own time. Thanks for the thoughts.
We need to get that ride organized before this summer ends. Any more traction on it? I have the Ducati ready for 1 or 2 more rides before it’s off to the shop for it’s annual checkup. chaaaa CHING!