WESTERN MANITOULIN—It was an amazing sight to see with people lined up on the side of the highways and roads awaiting the motorcycles going by and the hearse carrying the beloved Ted Culgin to his final resting place this past Saturday.
Motorcyclists from all over Manitoulin and seemingly from all different parts of Ontario were on hand to “shake the ground one more time,” as part of the celebration of life service for Mr. Culgin.
Mr. Culgin passed away at the age of 64-years-old this past January 14, 2017. “A lot of friends, family and those who rode motorcycles with Ted over the years and knew him are attending this ride in support of his family,” stated Larry Morrison, one of the organizers of the event. He pointed out at least 14 participants came on bikes from Barrie as well as one gentleman from Grimsby who worked with Ted.
“We all first met at The Rock Harley Davidson shop in Sudbury Saturday morning, and then rode over to Espanola to pick up Ted and his family in the hearse and then rode to the East Bluff Lookout in Gore Bay which was the staging area for all of us (motorcyclists) to meet,” said Mr. Morrison. The procession then rode to Silver Lake Cemetery for a committal service. “Ted always loved Silver Lake cemetery; it was where he wanted to be buried.”
“We never got an exact number but there were between 50-60 bikes on hand,” said Mr. Morrison. He pointed out one of the amazing things of the day was that people were in places on the side of highways on the journey of the whole procession to the cemetery; as a way of showing their love of Ted and support for his family. “There was a bunch of people in Burpee-Mills and Silver Water on the side of roads, including Maggie Wiseman who held up a sign about 4×6 foot in size. It was incredible.”
At the cemetery service, Mr. Morrison said there was approximately 150 people in attendance. And at the service Virginia Matheson and Jessica Matheson were among those who performed a ritual drumming ceremony.
“Barb (Culgin) and her family were overwhelmed that so many people showed up, and couldn’t believe people were at the side of the roads showing their support,” said Mr. Morrison. “It was incredible.”
