Gregg Arnold Haugen was a good man. He was a loving husband, father, grandfather, brother, and friend. He was a hard-working man. I imagine he started at a young age, with chores on the family farm . . . but I don’t know for sure, because Dad wasn't much of a talker. When he was in the mood to talk, he spoke about family, fishing, or motorcycles. He was a family man and an outdoorsman. Growing up
he was active in sports, a running back on the football team and a sprinter in track. After his family sold the farm and moved to town, he won a job pumping gas and washing windshields at a local gas station. Maybe this is where he discovered his love of motorcycles. . . a love he carried the rest of his life. In his short life, Dad achieved his American Dream. He married his high school sweetheart, Shari, he took classes at Faribault Technical College, and landed a career at IBM. Later, Dad and Mom had us three kids (Chad, Christa, & Scott). Dad enjoyed many fishing trips with family and friends. He also enjoyed trips to Sturgis, and “the ride home” to Milwaukee for Harley’s 100th Anniversary of course. I think Dad saw himself as “handy”, though some might disagree. He liked to tinker his way through household projects, always solving problems in an unconventional way, and sometimes creating mysterious gadgets. Dad was independent. He worked his way up the ladder at IBM (finance), and like so many others, was pushed into early retirement after 33 years . . . but Dad wasn’t ready to retire. He earned his CDL and started driving semi-truck. He eventually returned to IBM in a supplemental finance role. Ironically, his job title was “Engineer”. Dad’s hearing wasn’t perfect. I sometimes wondered if he was really listening. But he always seemed to know what was going on, whether I told him or not. Dad was not afraid to shoot straight. Sometimes he told me what I didn’t want to hear. Dad was honest. Dad was a healthy man, never a smoker. He appreciated a beer or a nip of brandy as much as any man. Sometimes a shot of Upper Cylinder Lubricant (blackberry brandy) was in order. But overall, he didn’t have bad habits. One day, he was diagnosed with stage four esophageal cancer. The news was bad and shocking. The next day, he was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer. Dad didn’t say it, but the prostate cancer was a low blow. Family rallied, but he didn’t want the attention. The chemo and radiation were horrific and took its toll on him, but Dad was never defeated. Too weak to eat, or stand, he logged into work from home. I realized later, it was his way of fighting back with everything he had. Dad was tough . . . stubborn even. Two months to the day of diagnosis, Dad was gone. He was 58. He never complained, saying only, “I am glad it's me, and not one of you.”
A good friend of my Dad’s and now a good friend of mine, David Malone, has this quote on his email signature: “I believe that life is too short to spend waiting for tomorrow. I say be responsible, love your family, cherish your friends and welcome life's adventures. I say leave your worries behind, live life to the fullest and ride like there's no tomorrow." David – My Dad agreed, and so do I. Thank you for honoring him with this Memorial Ride. I look forward to it all year long. Thank-you to EVERYONE for coming each year to ride with us and for honoring my Dad.
-Chad Arnold Haugen.
