Lanny took over our chapter under very dire circumstances when the previous CD chose not to exercise his option for another year and it looked like we would have to go inactive if we didn't have someone to replace him. Without any prior notice or preparation, Lanny and Kathy bravely took up the challenge that very night.
Proof of his charisma and leadership qualities was given when we were named Tennessee Chapter of the Year 2002 among other awards we received at Cupid's Capers this year. Lanny was so very proud of us that day. He and Kathy accepted that award with tears in their eyes and he boasted that it was all the chapter's doing, that he didn't do anything. He always tended to downplay his part in elevating us to reach goals that we had thought were unattainable. But, we all knew that without his and Kathy's encouragement and enthusiam and zest for riding and living, we would not be where we were.
Lanny had a heart condition, though, and we realized how serious it was that weekend at Cupid's Capers when he was so overwhelmed by the emotion and excitement of winning that coveted award that he almost passed out and had to go outside and sit quietly for a while. The next day we toured the Opryland Hotel and he couldn't keep up with us, but had to sit and rest frequently.
He kept on riding, though; I don't think there was anything else he would rather do. He could ride for hours and hours and only stop because he needed fuel or Kathy made him give her a break. It got so we all knew to eat something before we went on a dinner ride with Lanny because we really never knew how long it would be before we would stop to eat. That man loved to ride and had said that on his bike was the only place he didn't have any pain or worries. He was an excellent rider having ridden since boyhood.
During Closing Ceremonies at Spring Fling in Pigeon Forge, our District Director, Ray Massengale, announced that this year they had instituted a new award for the outstanding Chapter Director of the year in our District. The winner of the first Chapter Director of the Year award was a couple who richly deserved the honor, he continued. A couple who took their chapter from "rags to riches" in a manner of speaking. The winners were Lanny and Kathy Stewart! Again, Lanny was overcome with emotion but managed to run up to the stage with Kathy to accept their plaque. They took pictures and then they returned to their seats. A few minutes later, Lanny slumped to the floor. He never regained consciousness.
A measure of the respect and love we all felt for this man is demonstrated in this excerpt from an email Ray Massengale sent us:
Effective today, the "Tennessee Director Award" will be known from this day forward as the "Lanny Stewart Memorial - Tennessee Director Award" I feel that this is very fitting as Lanny & Kathy were the first and Lanny only had a few minutes to enjoy the recognition he and Kathy so greatly deserved.
Lanny would be so very proud of this honor. And, he would be so very proud of the way his wife and children and other family members have comported themselves during these weeks of agony and grief. GWRRA is a family, too, and as a family our chapter and some of the other chapters have drawn together to support each other and to support Kathy in these sorrowful moments.
I have collected some of the pictures of Lanny I have accummulated this year for the newsletter and for the website and offer them here so we may remember and relive some of our wonderful moments with our beloved Monkey. (This is another story; ask chapter members.)
As always, click on the picture to view full size.
First Recipients of The Chapter Director of the Year Plaque
awarded at Spring Fling, Pigeon Forge, TN, April 26, 2003.
They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them,
but then an entire life to forget them. Lanny will never be forgotten.
I hope you have enjoyed strolling down memory lane and remembering Lanny with us. If you have any pictures you would like to have included here, just send them to me at smokytriker@aol.com and I will be happy to add them to our collection. God bless, and ride safe...
