Randy Riddell Remembered by Memorial Ride

In the early morning on Saturday February 22, 2014 the roar of engines alerted the neighborhood that a group of motorcycle riders were arriving in the parking lot of the Pinnacle Peak Steak House in Colton. Each rider was greeted by Colton resident Lillie Riddell with a hug and a big smile as she gave each rider a lime green ribbon and bracelet. “These colors stand for the fight against lymphoma,” she said as she explained the reason behind the small gifts, “After a while, lime green became our favorite color.” Riddell had invited her friends and family to come out to the first annual Ride for Randy, a memorial motorcycle ride in honor of her late husband Randy Riddell. Randy passed away from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma a year ago on February 20, 2013, and it was his love of riding motorcycles that prompted her to remember him in this very unique style. Pinnacle Peak was one of his favorite restaurants, so Riddell felt it was important to begin the memorial ride there. Randy’s long time friend Ed Canela shared his memories by saying, “Randy had always been the ‘go to’ guy in our circle of friends. He was a big guy, recognizable in an instant. He loved to ride and everywhere we went, he would treat people like he’d known them for his whole life. They would always recognize him when he rode in there again. One time, we went all the way to Mexico, and when they saw him coming, they cleared out a spot for us to park even though it was a very busy weekend. They recognized him, and welcomed him because of how he had been with them. He was an awesome guy.” Medical issues had been a part of Randy’s life since he was very young. Having a heart attack at the age of 37, he had to have a quadruple bypass in 1986 and eight months later had to have another one when the graft sites closed up. That left him permanently disabled, so he stayed home from work playing ‘Mr. Mom’, explained his wife Lillie. He had been instrumental in raising his now 20-year-old granddaughter Erica Ramirez, and it was something that he proudly held close to his heart. “And Erica loved her ‘Poppie’ as much as any daughter could love her father,” said Riddell. “He loved camping, playing golf, and being with family and friends, especially from our close knit neighborhood,” said Riddell of her husband. Josiane Roman told stories of camping trips and the table of friends and family she was sitting with all joined in laughing and remembering the details of Randy’s role in making everyone laugh. A few days before his passing, Riddell explained, Randy had told her he was in the mood for a potluck, so they had called the neighborhood, his friends and family together for a potluck to celebrate the time together. “He passed away just a few days later,” said Riddell, “and when I thought about honoring him with a Memorial Ride, I knew it had to end with a neighborhood potluck.” Randy’s motorcycle was sitting out in front, decked out with green and white balloons. A slide show of pictures throughout his life played in the garage as a DJ played some of his favorite music. Friends and family were laughing and sharing stories of how Randy had positively impacted their lives. “It was just wonderful for all of his friends and family to show up the day they did. It was really sad but it was really a joy for me to be able to share his memory with everyone who loved him so much,” Riddell said, "He was such a wonderful husband and a friend to all."