EMS Memorial cyclists stop in Lewes to honor Tim McClanahan
The weather was far from ideal during the seven days of the East Coast 2018 EMS Memorial Bike Ride. Rain followed the riders on their 550-mile trek from Boston to National Harbor near Washington, D.C., during the Weekend of Honor May 19, when East Coast riders joined cyclists from across the nation for a memorial service to honor fallen first responders.
On the sixth day of the ride – after crossing on the Cape May-Lewes Ferry – cyclists stopped at Lewes fire station to pay tribute to fallen firefighter/EMT Tim McClanahan, who died July 11, 2016, in a helicopter training accident.
During a stop on The Circle in Georgetown, they honored the 10th anniversary of fallen Sussex paramedic Stephanie Callaway, who died in a June 17, 2008 ambulance crash, and Delaware City paramedic/firefighter Michelle Williams, who was killed Dec. 22, 2008, while assisting an injured motorcyclist.
Cyclists also paid tribute to seven other Delaware first responders who had passed away.
Known as the Muddy Angels, the cyclists left Georgetown after lunch provided by the Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department Ladies Auxiliary, and stopped for the night in Annapolis, Md., before riding to National Harbor.
One of the youngest cyclists in the group was Slone Hoban, 14, who was riding in memory of his father, Kenneth, who passed away last year at the age of 50. Kenneth was a corrections officer at Sussex Correctional Institution.
“You are heroes who are riding for other heroes,” Rep. Steve Smyk told the riders. “You step up, don’t ask for anything and give everything you’ve got. This is a special family.”
Sussex County EMS Deputy Director Jeff Cox, who was holding up a large photo of McClanahan, said he was joining the ride to Georgetown in memory of Callaway. “You all ride for a reason and a person. I ride for Steph – she was my partner,” he said.
Sussex County Paramedic Lars Granholm presented dog tags in memory of McClanahan to his mother and father, Rita and Mike, and his brother, Sean.
