Posted Thu, 2009-07-30 20:43
Courtesy photo (far left). Bruce Rossmeyer, shown here in a studio shoot, was killed Thursday while riding his Harley on a Wyoming roadway on his way to the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota.
NSBNEWS.net photo by Sera Frederick. Bruce Rossmeyer's New Smyrna Harley-Davidson on State Road 44 in New Smyrna Beach as shown in this photo taken 11 p.m. Thursday. He owned the Harley dealership in his namesake on Beach Street in Daytona Beach as well as Destination Daytona off Interstate 95 near Ormond Beach.
NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- Bruce Rossmeyer, owner of the New Smyrna Beach Harley-Davidson dealership, among myriad bike shops he owned, died today on his Harley when he tried to pass a pick-up truck pulling a camper that was turning left on a Wyoming highway while on his way to the Stugis motorcycle rally in South Dakota. He was 66.
News of Rossmeyer's sudden passing was met with sadness by New Smyrna Beach officials and civic and community leaders alike.
"His loss is New Smyrna Beach's loss," New Smyrna Beach Mayor Sally Mackay said."This is Central Florida's loss. What he did for the economy of this area is huge."
Former Mayor James Vandergrifft who said he met Rossmeyer on one occasion during a community function, described him as a "prominent figure who will be missed.
"You hate to hear about accidents like that," Vandergrifft said. "He'll be missed."
Michelle Lott, publisher of the weekly Observer newspaper, said she didn't know Rossmeyer, but said his death will impact the community at large.
"It's always sad to hear when somebody's life is cut short in an accident like that," she said.
Rossmeyer was riding a Harley with a group of friends, east on Highway 28 in Sweetwater County, Wyomong state police said, when several bikers in front of hm passed a Ford pick-up truck pulling a two-axle camper trailer and as it slowed to make a left turn with its blinker on, Rossmeyer tried to pass and struck the vehicle. Robert L. VanValkenburg, 73, of Rock Springs, Wy., the driver of the truck, had slowed down and used his turn signal, police said. Rossmeyer, who was not wearing a helmet, was ejected from his bike in the 11 a.m. accident and his body came to rest under the trailer, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His wife, Sandy, and two of their children were waiting for him in Sturgis when the accident occurred, according to media reports. Rossmeyer, recognized as one of the largest Harley deaders in the country, had been in Colorado visiting several dealerships he owns there, as well as in Florida and Massachusetts. He also had a booth at the Sturgis motorcycle rally and was an inductee into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Locally, Rossmeyer was involved in several charities in the Daytona Beach area, including the Boys and Girls Club of Volusia County. And of course, his local Harley-Davidson dealerships in Daytona Beach, Ormond Beach and New Smyrna Beach, were popular stopping points for bikers coming to the area for Bike Week and Biketoberfest.