2008-06-23 - Dug - Doug Dunwoody

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Joe
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Tim Graham told me of this while at WeSTOC. I didn't know Doug personally
but hopefully those that did can post some comments about him. Tim said
he was a great guy. His user name here is Dug.

Here's the news headline I found:

CODY - A Canadian man died Monday in a motorcycle wreck on Highway
212. It is the second fatal incident in a less than a week involving a biker
in Park County.

Douglas W. Dunwoody, 55, of Calgary, Alberta, was traveling south with
three other motorcycles at 8:30 a.m. when he failed to negotiate a turn,
according to a report released by the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

The incident occurred about 78 miles northwest of Cody, and Dunwoody's
was the only vehicle involved.

He crossed the center line and went off the roadway on the northbound
side, traveling down an embankment. Dunwoody, who was wearing a
helmet, was thrown from his Honda Gold Wing motorcycle.

attachment.php
 
Doug, myself, and 3 others had just completed the Beartooth Pass the day before. We overnighted in Cooke City, Mt and then were going to continue on through Yellowstone, Missoula, Lolo Pass, Northern Idaho and NE Washington, ending up back in Calgary last Friday.
Monday morning (June 23) we left Cooke City on our way to Cody, WY. About 7 miles out of Cooke City, Doug failed to negotiate a relatively gentle right hand corner, went off the outside of the turn and went into the trees. He died instantly from a broken neck and several other internal injuries. I was unfortunately behind him and witnessed the whole thing but I can't say for sure what really happened except that the bike suddenly jerked upright and shot off the outside of the corner. I can only speculate that he touched the center stand down and that jacked the back wheel off the ground momentarily and when it came back down it cause what could be best described as a partial "high side". He was riding an 04 GW1800 and we were traveling at only 40-50 mph at the time.

Doug was 55 yrs old, married (Jane) and had 2 daughters (Jenny and Erica). He as the head of the IT department at Mount Royal College here in Calgary.

He was an integral part of not only the motorcycle community here in Calgary, but of his golf course and several community organizations. He was truly a gentleman and a person you could always go to for help, no matter what. He didn't know the word "can't". He would just get down to figuring out a way to do what needed to be done. He was the main organizer of our group rides and the Beartooth was one he had dreamed of doing for many years. He got to see and do his dream ride.

It is said the good die young and truer words were never spoken in Doug's case. So, think of Doug once in a while. Adjust your riding to take into account that we are all vulnerable. Doug was a good rider, always on the conservative side but even that did not help.

So......raise a glass to Doug after you are done riding and say a prayer for his family and friends. There is a hole in the community here that will never be filled.

Good bye my dear friend. Rest in peace and ride some twisties in heaven for me and find all the good roads so you can show me when I see you again.

Ride safe
Rod
 

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Thank you for the info Rod.

Condolences to Jane, Jenny, Erica and all that knew him.

Very sad.

--Bryan
04ST1300A
:04biker:
 
Thanks Rod. Sorry for the loss of your friend and prayers go out to his family.
 
Wow, that's news we all hate to hear. Condolences to friends and family.
 
Always sad to hear news like this. Condolences to his family, Godspeed Dug!

If you've got to "go" though, you may as well go doing what you love.
 
Prayers to the family and all his friends. I just lost my Mother-in-law 15 days ago and no matter how it happens, it's always hard!
 
The funeral for Doug is this afternoon at 2:30. He was an avid golfer, a bad poker player, (you have to do something with your riding buddies during an Alberta winter) and the kindest, most sincere person I've ever known. He will be missed terribly by all that knew him. Godspeed Dug.
 
Rod, thank you for a personal reflection. Doug sounds like the kind of guy I'd have enjoyed riding with all day and getting to know around a campfire all evening. Godspeed.
 
Mary and I met Doug on this site and then in person with his beautiful bride, Jane, just a few weeks ago when we joined them on a 3 day East Kootenay ride in BC. Doug and Jane made us both feel like we had been riding in the group for years. No uneasy moments, awkward silence or judgmental glances. Just Doug's ever present smile and genuine interest in whoever you were. He invested time in us and made it impossible for us to feel like outsiders.
A better ambassador for the motorcycling world I have never met. We will miss Doug deeply as he was laid to rest today, but we will cherish Jane's presence and be here for her.
God's speed Doug, Heaven was created for souls like yours.
 
Godspeed and prayers for his wife and daughters. Way too young to lose someone who sounds like he was just a great guy to be around.

John
 
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Just got back into town yesterday and heard about Doug - what a shock.
Rod, Marty & Al - beautiful sentiments, we couldn't agree more. People like Doug don't come along too often and the world is a poorer place when they are taken from us.
Take care.

Tony & Marnie
 
Rod.

Thanks for the post and excellent tribute to your friend. That's just the absolute worst. I'm always rocked by that kind of news and 99% of the time, what we get in the news is sketchy at best so we can just never really know what happened.
Collectively, we riders always wish to learn from these stories and often there's not enough information. I lost a friend in a similar crash years ago and he was close to Doug's age and a good rider. I didn't see the crash, but walked the crash site over and over trying to learn what could've happened and trying to make sense of a senseless event.

I'm really sorry you had to witness Doug's crash, but thank you for trying to help us all learn something from it. I've ridden that curve on the 212 many times and I know that 7 miles from Cooke City there just ain't no really technical curves (compared to the higher parts of the 'tooth) We can only speculate as you say what may have happened, but I for one will take your experience to heart and remember that anything can happen out there. I don't hit the starter w/o thinking of my friend and I can only hope it keeps me better focussed.

Best wishes to you, prayers for Doug and his family.
 
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