GARDEN CITY, SC (WBTW) – Firefighters, bikers, family and friends honored the life of one of their own with a memorial motorcycle ride on Sunday.
29-year-old Daniel Roy, a Midway firefighter/EMT died from injuries sustained in an off duty motorcycle accident in March.
“He was a spitfire, he was a rebel, he was a prankster, he liked to have fun, and most of all, he wanted to save the world. He was a giver,” Daniel’s mother, Sue Roy said about her late son.
Daniel Roy had a passion for helping others, and his parents say it was one of the main reasons he became a firefighter.
“He always had a heart of gold, he always cared about other people, always wanted to help everybody and it was usually the underdog,” Daniel’s father, Mark Roy said.
On Sunday, dozens of firefighters and members of the Axemen motorcycle club rode their bikes from Buzz’s Roost in Georgetown to Salty’s Pub & Grill in Garden City in honor of Daniel’s life.
“It’s a brotherhood. You’re not blood brothers but you’re family,” Steve Kelsey, Vice President of the South Carolina chapter of the Axemen motorcycle club and volunteer firefighter for Midway Fire Rescue said.
“It’s the same thing with our motorcycle club. You become family. You become so close to each other that you’re family. Being in a firehouse when you’re there 24 hours, you’re living with someone every third day, you’re a part of their life,” Kelsey said.
Daniel’s parents said they were overwhelmed by the amount of support at the first annual event.
“It fills us with so much pride to know that our boy made that much of a difference. He’s not a prince or anything like that; he’s not famous, he’s just our Daniel, and to know that he made that much of an impression on people just amazes me,” Sue Roy said.
Proceeds from the ‘First Annual Roy Boy Memorial Ride’ were donated to Daniel’s family.