Right up until the day he died, Jordan McIldoon loved country music, trucks and motorcycles.
So it was only fitting that friends and family of the 23-year-old from Maple Ridge, who was killed in the deadly mass shooting in Las Vegas last Sunday, would turn to those three things to honour his memory.
On Saturday, dozens of well-wishers came together for the Jordy Mac Memorial Cruise, filling the air with the loud sounds of diesel engines and twangy guitars as they headed from Langley, down Lougheed Highway to Harrison Lake, and back again.
Jordan’s friend Jeremy Smith, who began organizing the event on Facebook the day after the tragedy, said it was the best way to pay tribute.
“This is what he loved to do,” Smith said. “This was his whole thing. He loved to wear his cowboy boots and he was a complete redneck.”
People gathered in the parking lot of Langley’s Cineplex Colossus movie theatre, where decals reading “RIP Jordy Mac” were pasted onto back windows and bumpers.
By 10 a.m., the engines started roaring and, one by one, the trucks and bikes made their way to the highway.
WATCH: The girlfriend of Jordan McIldoon sat down with Global’s John Hua to talk about the day she lost the “love of her life” to a mass shooter in Las Vegas.
Smith said he was impressed with the turnout, which extended beyond close friends and family.
“A lot of guys that even don’t know him have reached out and showed up to give their respects to Jordan,” he said.
McIldoon was the first Canadian confirmed among the 58 people killed by a lone gunman who targeted the Route 91 Harvest country music festival from the Mandalay Bay resort across the street.
The Maple Ridge native was attending the festival with his girlfriend.
In an earlier interview, Smith praised his friend as a selfless person who only wanted to make people happy and have a good time.
Coverage of the Las Vegas shooting on Globalnews.ca:
Smith hopes to make the ride an annual event, as part of a continued effort to try and wring some positivity from a tragic situation.
“It’s been a rough go, but we’re going to get through it together and stay positive,” Smith said.
“Hopefully we’ll give everyone a chance to look forward to this in the years to come.”
The memorial ride wasn’t the only event to honour McIldoon this weekend.
On Friday night, local country music venue Roosters Country Cabaret in Pitt Meadows dedicated the evening to the fallen 23-year-old, with all proceeds from the door going to support his family.
A GoFundMe campaign for the family has raised nearly $30,000.
With files from Nadia Stewart, Amy Judd and Simon Little