All these, plus fellowship, friendship and a fiery passion for motorcycles will unite this weekend for a fundraising event in honor of a man killed eight years ago in Huntersville.
The eighth annual Derek Ellis Memorial Ride will mount up Saturday, Sept. 17, at Easy Eddie’s, a combination bar-restaurant-motorcycle shop at 12125 Statesville Road. The event salutes the memory of Derek Ellis, a young husband, father and motorcycle enthusiast who was killed a few days before Christmas eight years ago.
On Dec. 20, 2003, Derek, 26, was home on break from studies at the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute in Orlando. He and his wife, Jill, got a babysitter for their two small children and took part in a couples’ night out in Charlotte. When the group returned to Huntersville, Ellis was involved in an altercation with Robert Lewis Buchanan. The argument escalated into a fight outside the original Gilead Road location of Easy Eddie’s, owned and operated by Derek’s father, Eddie Ellis. The ensuing tragedy ended Derek’s life, left behind a widow and two young children and put Mooresville’s Buchanan, also in his mid 20s, in prison for manslaughter.
While the painful memories don’t fade, the determination to celebrate Derek’s life instead of just mourning his passing fueled the decision to create the annual ride. The event has grown into a tribute and memorial service combined with fellowship, fun times and a celebration of life.
Those interested in taking part in the memorial ride can register and start lining up between 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. The motorcycle motorcade, led by Eddie Ellis, will roll out at 12:30 for an approximately 45-minute ride through the countryside to Northlake Memorial Gardens. At the gravesite, guitar music and a brief service will be held and then the group will rumble back to Easy Eddie’s. Eddie Ellis traditionally ends the procession with a ceremonial burnout to kickoff an afternoon of refreshments, live music and fundraising raffles.
The registration fee is $5 and memorial T-shirts will also be available for purchase. Funds raised will benefit the Derek Dean Ellis Memorial Scholarship at the Motorcycle Mechanics Institute and be contributed to an educational fund for his daughter Kendall,13, and son Ethan, 8.
Kim Lybrand, Derek’s mother, says the days, weeks and months after that December night were “terrible, terrible times,” and then she quickly refocuses on the people and positive feelings associated with the memorial ride.
“It’s a wonderful way to celebrate Derek’s life,” says Lybrand, who participates in the ride that she estimates approximately 150 motorcycles took part in last year’s event.
Judy Ellis, Eddie’s widow, says the event usually draws people from all over.
“Everyone is welcome,” she says. “It doesn’t matter what you drive and you don’t have to ride. We have a lot of people who just come to enjoy the food, music and fellowship.”
