A last ride with friends
The cold air on U.S. 231 had nothing to do with the tears in Mac McMickle’s eyes Friday morning.
It was the memories of his wife, Nicole, and their shared love for motorcycles. Those moments stood out to him as he led the roaring cavalcade north carrying her ashes to Mass at St. Mary’s in Huntingburg.
“I was thinking about her and our last ride,” he said. “I just wish she was with me.”
Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2020, Nicole passed away last week. Mac said she hadn’t been able to ride much further than around the block these past two years.
The couple had been together for 27 years. When they first met, Nicole joined Mac in sharing a love for motorcycles. Their relationship included regular tours and long weekend rides while their daughters, Lilly and Lola, stayed at Nana’s.
As the cancer progressed, those rides went away; the last long ride was about two years ago. Nicole’s battle left her too exhausted and sick to consider another long ride.
“She gave it absolutely everything she had,” said Lilly. “My mom was the strongest woman I know. My mom was my superhero.”
Nicole’s impact was felt Friday morning as the roaring motorcycles reverberated among the homes and businesses in Dale before heading to Huntingburg–the parade made up of members of the Holland Legion Riders and other riders from around the area who had gathered to accompany Mac and his daughters.
Mac and Lilly had asked the Holland Legion Riders to accompany them as they took Nicole on one last ride on the bike he had recently won—a cherry red 2018 Harley Road Glide. Word spread, and the group gathered to honor Nicole whether they knew Mac or not.
“It’s a brotherhood,” Mac said. “If somebody needs something, we all come together.”
At St. Mary’s, whether a friend or a stranger, they all stood outside before Mass sharing, talking, crying and laughing–being together for one of their own.
A family of strangers, according to Lilly.
