Update on Bongobobny

[saddlebum]

Oh man I feared it but didn't want to have to hear it. Poor Becky I hope there is a lot of love around her right now. What everyone has said about Bob is an example of what more of the human race should be like. When my bike was run off the road in 2007 and I decided to buy it back from the insurance and rebuild it, Bob was on the phone in a heart beat asking what I needed in the way of parts and faster than the man of steel he and Becky magically showed up at my place of work here north of the border in Burlington Ontario, with a trunk load of parts and wanted not dime in return. I had only been with VR less than a year I believe and I did not know him nor him me and yet there he was in my time of need. On another occasion while returning from the Guntersville AL. international Rally, I decided to veer off my route home and pay Bobby and Becky a visit. Due to the fact that it was mid afternoon they insisted I stay for supper and then later as it started to cloud over insisted I stay the night which was followed by a great breakfast. It was a good thing to, as had I not stayed I would have got caught in one nasty lightning storm. Bobby has continue to be on my list of favorites from that time on. The only down side of knowing Bobby was the physical distance between us otherwise I know I would have enjoyed spending more time with him. My wife Marita was with me a couple of times to go visit Bob and Becky and she loved them both.

 

We will both miss him a true friend and solid patriot very much.

 

I know his new friends will love him just as much

Edited August 9, 2019 by saddlebum

[OrlinEngh]

Sad news, He will be missed by many. Thoughts and prayers to the family.

[The Tooch]

Bob had on several occasions offered me assistance in acquiring parts for my Venture from the US to Canada without hesitation and for just the pure joy of helping out a fellow member. He and Becky had both once opened up their home to me, fed me meals and provided a warm dry comfortable place to spend a night. I was made to feel at home. He and Becky had become family and this has made my heart truly heavy. Thoughts and prayers to Becky.

Bongo you will be missed!

[cecdoo]

RIP Bob, I am sure the other Venture riders that went before you, will be waiting for you with open arms. Hopefully Becky can find comfort in the memories of all your great adventures together. You surely will be missed.

 

Craig & Kim

[Bubber]

I too have been watching this post over time and hoping for the best.

So sorry to hear of Bob's passing. My deepest condolences to Becky and family and friends.

I had the pleasure of meeting Bob and Becky a few years back when they came out to Minnesota to the Pork in the Pines.

Good people and fun to have them join us.

 

We lost another brother and friend, may he rest in peace and join the others that have gone before him.

We will miss you Bob.

Ride long and hard till the end of time my friend.

 

Bubber

 

 

[cowpuc]

My heart is breaking,, this is so difficult.. My deepest condolences reach out to Becky, Bongo's family and all his friends far and near. What an extremely special person our BongoBob is/was and what a blessing to have gotten to know him and share in his friendship. Thank you Lord for blessing us all by sharing him with us.. Thank you too Big Tom for keeping the updates coming even though it was very difficult..

Tip and I are continuing in prayer for you and your family as you work thru the days that lay ahead Becky. Bob was a truly great man who will be missed by many many people! Rest in peace my sweet brother!

Puc

[stickhandle2]

Got to meet Bob a couple times at events, he was always willing to help out with knowledge, a place to have our parts sent (for those of us north of the border), most of all he made you feel welcome. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Becky , family, and friends.

 

Keep chasing the front wheel Bob.

 

Mike

[Sylvester]

I believe we can all agree that this is a very sad day. I didn't know Bob but through posts you can feel the person making them. I have never met Cowpuc but we are close friends regardless. Hopefully I will meet him in person in September. My prayer list continues for Bob and his eternal reward and for Becky and the family to come to peace with the loss. I pray this in Jesus's name, Amen.

[cowpuc]

I believe we can all agree that this is a very sad day. I didn't know Bob but through posts you can feel the person making them. I have never met Cowpuc but we are close friends regardless. Hopefully I will meet him in person in September. My prayer list continues for Bob and his eternal reward and for Becky and the family to come to peace with the loss. I pray this in Jesus's name, Amen.

 

Here ya go Slyvester,,, your chance to meet Bongo pre your own heaven bound journey.. As yourself, the man was an amazing individual from all aspects and a good friend who, like you, loved The Lord, and who was never shy about sharing his love for Jesus, his fellow man and motorcycles. I am sure the crowns I lay at the feet of our Savior on that great day will pale compared to those of this giant of a man,, our friend and brother - BongoBob..

 

 

 

 

and quick vid of Bongo's well wishes/showing his love when another of our brothers (Yammer Dan) went down a while back..

 

[Marcarl]

Obituary

 

Scharf, Robert J. of Arcade, NY on August 8, 2019. Devoted Husband of Rebecca J. Scharf (nee Hegedus); Beloved Brother of Audrey Salimon (late Jack); Adored Uncle of Mark, Garrett, and Jessica; Loving Stepfather of Victoria Perry and Michelle (Glenn) Malek; also survived by many friends. Bob was a proud Army Veteran and a Patriot Guard Rider. Friends will be received Monday from 4-8pm at LAKESIDE MEMORIAL FUNERAL HOME, INC. 4199 Lake Shore Rd, Hamburg, NY 14075 716-627-2919, where a service will be held Tuesday at 10:00 am. In lieu of flowers, please bring a new toy to the funeral home to donate to Operation Toy Soldier per Bob’s wishes. Online condolences at http://www.LakesideFuneralHome.com.

 

https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/5644044/Robert-Scharf

[BIG TOM]

Any Venturider from Canada or another state who is coming to the rally this week that may want to come early and attend Bobs funeral let me know...We are opening our home to those of you that may need a place to stay before the rally begins..We have 3 spare bedrooms, a pop up camper, plenty of floor space and 2 acres to pitch a tent. If you wish to take advantage of our offer please contact us...

[saddlebum]

Any Venturider from Canada or another state who is coming to the rally this week that may want to come early and attend Bobs funeral let me know...We are opening our home to those of you that may need a place to stay before the rally begins..We have 3 spare bedrooms, a pop up camper, plenty of floor space and 2 acres to pitch a tent. If you wish to take advantage of our offer please contact us...

I plan to be at the funeral for sure Just not sure what my travel plans will be yet. Whether to go down and stay or to make two back to back trips. Edited August 10, 2019 by saddlebum

[Evan]

P

Any Venturider from Canada or another state who is coming to the rally this week that may want to come early and attend Bobs funeral let me know...We are opening our home to those of you that may need a place to stay before the rally begins..We have 3 spare bedrooms, a pop up camper, plenty of floor space and 2 acres to pitch a tent. If you wish to take advantage of our offer please contact us...[/QUOT

 

Big Tom, your offer is very much appreciated and I regret very much that I will not be able to make it to Bob’s funeral. I know what a good man he was and how much he touched so many of us.

[sleepy2]

First condolences to Becky and family!!!

Bob will be greatly missed!

Wish I could attend but will be there in spirit!

 

Tom---Thanks for your offer!

Hoped to make funeral but unable to get time off. Will be leaving maybe Wed. or Thurs.

[Marcarl]

@saddlebum and I will be attending Bob's funeral on Tuesday at 10am. Meeting at Casablanca at 8am. Still working on the return trip.

[cowpuc]

saddlebum and I will be attending Bob's funeral on Tuesday at 10am. Meeting at Casablanca at 8am. Still working on the return trip.

 

Tip and I are also hoping to make it over to honor the life and times of Bongo, Carl, and share in the grieving of the communities loss and in the rejoicing that Bob's suffering is over and he is standing pain free in the presence of our Lord. As it stands right now it looks promising for us to make the trip. To your knowledge, are there any roads crossing Canada that we should avoid (road constructions?) brother?

By the way @Marcarl, THANK YOU for posting up Bongo's Obit! It was greatly appreciated! I can't help but wonder if that should be moved to a thread of it's own so no one misses it.. Regardless,, THANK YOU for getting it posted here my brother!

 

Love ya

Puc

[Marcarl]

Tip and I are also hoping to make it over to honor the life and times of Bongo, Carl, and share in the grieving of the communities loss and in the rejoicing that Bob's suffering is over and he is standing pain free in the presence of our Lord. As it stands right now it looks promising for us to make the trip. To your knowledge, are there any roads crossing Canada that we should avoid (road constructions?) brother?

By the way Marcarl, THANK YOU for posting up Bongo's Obit! It was greatly appreciated! I can't help but wonder if that should be moved to a thread of it's own so no one misses it.. Regardless,, THANK YOU for getting it posted here my brother!

 

Love ya

Puc

 

No thanks needed but appreciated, we all do our part as best we can.

 

Roads in Canada??????? Well there is construction all over the place, and then there isn't,, after all it's construction season.

I would suggest cross in Port Huron, take the 402 to London, 401 to the 403 in Woodstock, exit to the Lincoln Alexander Parkway in Ancaster, just follow onto the RedHill parkway, and then onto QEW Niagara. (As noted, Ben and I will be meeting at the Casablanca interchange, Grimsby, there is a Tim Hortons there at 8am.) Take the 420 to Niagara Falls, cross the Rainbow Bridge and follow the 190 to 90 and Hamburg NY.

Notes:

Crossing in Lewingston is also a good option, but avoid the Peace Bridge in Fort Erie, that could hold you up for an easy half hour or better.

[Tiger Lilley]

Star Gazer Lilley & I will be collecting toys and or cash at the rally to donate in Bongo's Memory for anyone who would like to donate but can't make it to his services. Below I have included some information about Operation Toy Soldier.

We hope you will join us in honoring Bongo in this way,

Mark & Cheryl

 

Operation Toy Soldier has been very satisfying for us. Why would a bunch of funeral directors collect toys for the children of deployed soldiers? When we found out that the holiday season is a stress point for deployed soldiers spouses we wanted to get involved. Our goal here is to provide one large and one small toy for each child in need. In most cases, a local base is our drop off point. Most bases have a person who coordinates ‘help’ to the spouses of the deployed soldiers. The higher the rank, the more the pay. So all in all, most of our help goes to the spouses of enlisted men and women. They are young married couples, usually in their early twenties. Most of us can remember the stress of ‘not enough money to go around. Yes, Santa needs a little help.Most of the funeral homes in the Veterans Funeral Care network are owned and run by veterans or, like me, the children of veterans. So when we found out about the need, we wanted to help.We get questions about types of toys needed. A football or soccer ball is a big hit. Barbie Dolls and coloring books are huge. If your 5-10 year old would like it, our kids will love it too.It is very important to us that you understand that even though Operation Toy Soldier is a nationwide toy drive, all the toys you donate STAY LOCAL. When you donate a toy in the Atlanta area, the toy goes to a soldier’s family in Atlanta. When toys are donated in Cleveland, the toys help the soldier’s children in Cleveland smile. Each of our communities are very dear to us, so it is essential that when we participate in a national drive, our local community benefits from the donations.On behalf of all of us at Veterans Funeral Care, the originators of the program, Tim & Frankie Stewart, our national network host, Crystal & Jason Jardine, Thank you for participating in this campaign, Operation Toy Soldier for our Veterans. We believe they deserve the very best!For God and Country,http://operationtoysoldier.com/drum/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/jin_sig.png Jim Rudolph

President & Founder

[XV1100SE]

saddlebum and I will be attending Bob's funeral on Tuesday at 10am. Meeting at Casablanca at 8am. Still working on the return trip.

 

Riding or caging it?

[Marcarl]

Riding or caging it?

We will be riding and returning on Sunday the 18th, meaning we will be staying there for the duration.

[RDawson]

I can't make it to Bob's funeral so I have been trying to figure out a way to get some toys there as he requested. I looked up Operation Toy Soldier and found there are drop off locations around the country, mostly funeral homes near military bases. I thought I'd throw that out there for anyone interested. I seem to remember Bob saying he was in the 101st which is based 1-1/2 hrs from me so I plan to take a ride with the wife over there to donate in his name.

 

Edit: I somehow missed Tiger Lilley's post about collecting toys at the rally, I didn't mean to undercut that effort in any way. Thank you Cheryl.

Edited August 11, 2019 by RDawson

[stanG]

Let me tell you about Bongo. Of course to those who knew him this is no surprise. About three years ago, I crashed my 83 when a deer jumped out in from of me. The bike skidded down the roadway and the left side of the fairing was toast along with some other parts. I had posted about the crash here and a forum member suggested that I put up a parts list of the stuff I needed as many members had parts bike laying around. I did, and much to my surprise about three days later I received two boxes from the UPS guy, one with the left fairing complete with the turn signal in nearly perfect condition. It was from Bongo. The other was from Puc. Between the two of them I had all the parts I needed for the repair. When I contacted Bongo I asked what I owed him and he said zero. He wouldn't even take money for the shipping that was nearly $40 bucks. That's the way he was, a true gentleman. I did covertly send him the shipping cost via PayPal and also sent a nice sampler of smoked meats as a thank you, knowing that I could never repay his gratitude. May you rest in peace Bongo. You will surely be missed.

 

This is a fine example of the folks you find here on this forum.

 

May peace be with his family and friends.

 

Have fun out there!

[cowpuc]

Let me tell you about Bongo. Of course to those who knew him this is no surprise. About three years ago, I crashed my 83 when a deer jumped out in from of me. The bike skidded down the roadway and the left side of the fairing was toast along with some other parts. I had posted about the crash here and a forum member suggested that I put up a parts list of the stuff I needed as many members had parts bike laying around. I did, and much to my surprise about three days later I received two boxes from the UPS guy, one with the left fairing complete with the turn signal in nearly perfect condition. It was from Bongo. The other was from Puc. Between the two of them I had all the parts I needed for the repair. When I contacted Bongo I asked what I owed him and he said zero. He wouldn't even take money for the shipping that was nearly $40 bucks. That's the way he was, a true gentleman. I did covertly send him the shipping cost via PayPal and also sent a nice sampler of smoked meats as a thank you, knowing that I could never repay his gratitude. May you rest in peace Bongo. You will surely be missed.

 

This is a fine example of the folks you find here on this forum.

 

May peace be with his family and friends.

 

Have fun out there!

 

You made me cry Stang,,, I miss em.. The world does not have enough people in it with hearts to match the size of our friend Bongo's.. He was truly the real McCoy.. THANKS for sharing that story my brother!

[stanG]

And thank you too Puc. Just like Bongo you too offered up the parts for free. Something I will never forget and will continue to pay forward with gratitude.

 

Have fun out there!

[Jayceesfolly]

My wife and I would also like to offer our home for anyone traveling to Bob's funeral. We have a guest bedroom in our home with a queen bed and plenty of room for a RV or camper in our driveway, or a tent in our fenced in rear yard. You can come early and then attend the Rally in Arcade. We will be attending the funeral on Tuesday and then returning home to prepare to leave Thursday morning for the Rally.

 

We are located about one and a half hours east of the Funeral home in Hamburg NY, in the western suburbs of Rochester, NY.

 

You can PM me or text or call my cell to contact me: 585-747-7998.

 

 

Jim Crane