“He was just such an incredible person that was very loved,” said Laura Tsujikawa. “And we were lucky to have him in our lives.”
As the dust settles from Saturday’s wind storm, one family mourns the loss of Jeffrey James Rauhala.
The 41 year-old Lethbridge man was riding his motorbike along Highway 505, just East of the St. Mary’s dam, when Saturday’s fierce winds blew him off the road. He was airlifted to Calgary Foothills Hospital, where he died later that day.
Rauhala’s family explained Rauhala used to give himself motorcycle parts for Christmas, and on top of his tree was a motorbike instead of a star. His passion for bikes began at a young age, and his family added it wasn’t unusual to find him in the garage. Rauhala even built himself a motorbike from scratch.
“A lot of Jeff is bike and if you see Jeff, you’ll see a bike,” said his sister Robin Rauhala.
“You wouldn’t see Jeff without a bike,” Rauhala’s long time girlfriend Tsujikawa agreed. “But there were so many other things he was so good at, and that he loved.”
He was riding a Suzuki GSX-R1000 sport bike at the time of the accident. RCMP continue to investigate the crash, but said it was caused by the extremely windy conditions. Something that Rauhala’s family hopes others can learn from.
“Mother Nature is very powerful. So be careful, please everyone. Be careful. And ride safe, for Jeff’s sake.”
A funeral service for Jeffrey James Rauhala will be held at two o’clock Saturday, May 4th in the D.A. Electric Barn at Lethbridge College.
The funeral will be proceeded by a motor bike procession.
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