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| Wally Kilburg at the checkpoint #2 for Trans Iowa v8. |
Wally came to be a friend via a random email in 2010 asking if he could be a moto follow vehicle for Trans Iowa. I was skeptical, and eventually Wally's persistence carried the day. I'm glad it did. Persistence was one of the qualities that Wally possessed in spades.
He was persistent in not only his desire to help me and Trans Iowa, but to be a force to help elevate the event via his talents as a photographer. But what you may not know is that Wally also was an advisor, a helper in reconning courses, and was fiercely loyal to myself and Trans Iowa.
Wally moved on after Trans Iowa was done to be a loyal and fiercely supportive husband as he watched his wife be taken away from him slowly by Alzheimers. He was a true inspiration to me from afar as I simultaneously watched my mother die from the same disease.
The struggles for Wally took him away from being my friend, and rightfully so, and so I was not in touch with him recently. That stings a bit, but I understand. I had my own struggles as well.
Wally, your memory will live on with me and many others as well. Thank you my friend.
3 comments:
So sorry to hear of your friends passing. He sounded like a good man.
Wally was an amazing human. I look at my favorite images from Trans Iowa and he shot many of them.
Rest in peace, friend.
So many fond memories of Wally from interacting with him as a racer of TI and as a volunteer. The one memory that sticks with me the most is the checkpoint out in the middle of nowhere with a fire going and there was Wally. Smiling and encouring all of us riders, was tough to leave the fire but Wally gave great encouragement to go on. He will be missed but his legacy will live on in the pictures he took of us riders.
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