Thu, Nov 26 2009
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Riding for Merle Fund-raiser will help pay funeral expenses for the man who put Ashtabula kids on wheels By CARL E. FEATHER - Lifestyle Editor - cfeather@starbeacon.comStar Beacon “Merle was a giver,” Ball says. “He’d give the shirt off his back. This is our opportunity to give as much as Merle gave.”
Ball says that just a couple of months before he died, Merle donated his new socket set to the Dream Center’s bicycle ministry. “Merle was always finding ways to give,” says Ball. This is the fifth year for the Chili Ride, a non-competitive event that kick offs the new year. A registration fee of $20 for adults is required for the ride/walk, which leaves the Dream Center, 604 W. 57th St., at noon New Year’s Day. Donations will be accepted in his memory, as well. Ball says the course is around the block; some people ride around once, others put several miles on their bicycles, depending on the weather. Chili is served at the Dream Center kitchen from noon to 2 p.m. to warm and fuel the riders and walkers. “It’s just kind of a good way to start the new year out and look at yourself as you start the new year,” Ball says of the event, one of Merle’s favorites. “He would follow behind them and fix their bikes during the Chili Ride in case anything broke,” Shonet says. Ball says a memorial display will be set up in the church during the ride, and the Dodge family will be on hand to recall and honor their husband, father and grandfather. But none of them plans to ride. “I haven’t been on a bike for years,” Shonet says. They will reminisce about the man who had a way of keeping things rolling wherever he went. “Everybody loved him because he had a good sense of humor,” Shonet says. “He’d joke with you and he’d make your day. It’s unbelievable that he’s gone. A lot of people are missing him already.” 
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