Revved up reverend

May 15, 2008 11:04 pm

— CONNEAUT — Motorcycling has been a part of the Rev. Alonzo Graff’s life for nearly as long as he has walked the earth, and that’s been more than 80 years.
In recent years, the ordained minister and avid rider kicked off the local cycling season with a Blessing of the Bikes ceremony in Conneaut. Graff would offer a prayer for safe travels to the dozens of bikers who attended.
Recent illness has forced Graff out of the saddle and into the Villa at the Lake, an assisted-living center in Conneaut. For awhile, Graff thought his new situation would mean an end to his annual biker blessing. Instead, he has been encouraged by Villa staff to hold his ceremony at the Parrish Road facility.
As a result, motorcyclists will be invited to rumble up to the center, 48 Parrish Road, at 2 p.m. Sunday for the event. Participants are asked to take a nonperishable food for the Conneaut Food Pantry.
Villa staff said they are happy to help keep Graff’s tradition intact.
“We encourage our residents to enjoy the everyday activities as they did before moving in with us,” said Terri Jones, a Villa official.
Graff will walk among the vehicles, offering a simple blessing to each, he said.
“I’ll bless cars and trucks, too,” he said.
A fully ordained United Methodist minister, Graff, who turns 81 in July, retired 15 years ago, he said. Health problems saw Graff take up residence at the Villa in February, the same month he lost his wife of nearly 57 years, Marguerite.
Because of his medical situation, it’s been a few years since Graff convened one of his motorcycle blessings, and he began to doubt whether another was in his future.
“After two strokes and a heart attack, I began to wonder,” Graff said. “I’m glad to be able to do it.”
Graff grew up astride a motorcycle, he said.
“I started riding when I was 9 years old,” Graff said. “I rode them in the Navy. I’ve never been off them very long.”
That passion is on prominent display in Graf’s room at the Villa, where his beloved Harley-Davidson motorcycle is parked. The Villa gladly let Graf make the 9 1/2-foot-long bike part of the decor, as long as the gas, oil, battery and other hazards were removed.
The 30-year-old motorcycle, one of a handful Graff has owned, is a reminder of happier days.
“I put 65,000 miles on that bike,” he said.
It’s been awhile since Graff grabbed some handlebars and roared off down the road, although he has hopped into the passenger seat on a few recent occasions. Still, he has great memories of his free-spirit days.
“I never had anything but good things happen to me on a motorcycle,” he said.

Photos

AL GRAFF at his place in the Villa at the Lake on Parrish Road in Conneaut. Graff will preside over the "Blessing of the Bikes" this weekend. BILL WEST