Seniors on Scooters think of themselves as family

Group of about 40 members travel in 100-mile radius, support each other.

Seniors On Scooters line up in front of Carver’s Family Restaurant, Richmond, Ind., each Thursday at 8 a.m. while the 24 riders from Ohio, Indiana, and Florida eat breakfast. Their roster numbers approximately 40 members.

Coralee Shearer and her husband, Bob, of Oxford, each drove their Silverwing 650 cc scooter.

“The group is very much of a family and we help and support each other,” Shearer said.

Recently, a SOS member, Luther Witt, passed away. Twenty riders followed the hearse to the cemetery.

“We ride in about a 100 miles radius. We ride to Indianapolis and the Columbus area, south Madison, Indiana and Rabbit Hash, Kentucky,” Shearer said.

New Paris has four SOS members: Duane Thomas, Jerry Northern, Lonnie Rockhill and Bob Robinson.

Rockhill has a Susuki 650 Burgman that will run about 120 mph.

“They are talking about going to Arkansas in September where a scooter convention is going on,” Rockhill said. “They usually have 20-25 people when the weather is right.”

This senior scooter group began in 1998 with Richmond residents Glen Lawrence, Quenton Little and George Turner. They decided to drive their scooters to Carver’s for breakfast once a week.

“This is what it’s involved into over the years,” Lawrence said.

The average age is in the 70s. Lawrence, a Navy World War II veteran is the oldest member at age 85. His grandson, Mark Baker, drives a Harley Davidson and is 46.

“Basically the reason they are called scooters is that you don’t have to shift gears,” Lawrence said.

“What we ride is scooters, but they are technically motorcycles. You have to have a license. The one I ride is made by Honda and is called a Helix. It is a 250 cc. Several have a Silver Wing and that is also made by Honda. That is 650 cc,” Lawrence said.

“There are no rules and no dues,” said Turner. He has a Honda 600 Silverwing. His favorite scooter ride was on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Glenn Himelick of Modoc, Indiana, said last week’s trip was to Jackson Center, Ohio when they went through the Air Stream Trailers factory. “It was 200 miles round trip. Some got wet from the rain coming home.”

The Carver breakfast crowd laughs recalling how some of them have fallen off their scooters. Last October, going to Batesville, down on route 129 Himelick hit some loose sand. “I fell and Ron Glaub (Richmond) fell right behind me.”

A Methodist minister, Tom Ward, Lynn, Indiana, says grace before they eat their breakfast. Years ago when they went to Smokey Mountains he had a wreck and totaled his scooter. “They checked on me every night. They are a very respectful group,” said Ward.

For more information on the group, call (765) 960-5987.

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