SHOEMAKER, Benjamin A., Jr.

The White Mountain Independent, Show Low, Arizona ~ February 29, 2008 Benjamin A. Shoemaker Jr. of Sun City West died Feb. 20, 2008, at Hospice of the Valley in Surprise surrounded by his family. He was a person of great strength and strong faith that calmed him through his storm of illness. He was born in Muscatine, Iowa Oct. 28, 1933, to Mabel and Ben Shoemaker Sr. He was raised in Muscatine, Iowa, and graduated from Muscatine High School in 1951. After he met and married his wife, Gwen, he worked for Bessler Locomotive and Hawkeye Company in Davenport, Iowa, before starting his first motorcycle business, a Harley-Davidson dealership in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1958. In 1961 they moved the family and motorcycle business to Sioux City, Iowa. He and Gwen owned and operated Sioux City Motorcycle Sales (Harley-Davidson and Yamaha) for 20 before retiring to Arizona. The motorcycle business allowed them to meet many exceptional people who became lifelong friends. They belonged to the following motorcycle riding clubs: Muscatine Motorcycle Club during the 1950s, Sooland Rainmakers and Spinning Wheels in Sioux City, Iowa, during the 1960s and 70s and the Sun City Power Riders since the 1990s. In the late 1980s he owned and operated Painter's Choice in Pinetop. Ben had a lifelong passion for racing and riding motorcycles. He was a life member of the American Motorcycle Association and National Motorcycle Racing Association in his younger years. Over the years he attended many certified training courses at the Harley-Davidson Motor Co. Service School in Milwaukee, Wis., to keep up with the changing technology. His enthusiasm for anything "motorcycle" inspired many young people to become interested in riding and/or working on bikes. He was a motorcycle mechanic, welder, pilot and all around "fix-it guy." During the years he lived in Sioux City, Iowa, he was a member of the Masonic Lodge. He was also a member of Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church in Sun City West. He was an avid collector and president of the Arizona Postcard Club for a number of years and a member of the Tucson Postcard Club. He enjoyed reading and collecting antique toys and stamps. His parents, and his sister, Betty Bembenek, preceded him in death. Ben is survived by his wife of 54 years, Gwen Shoemaker; two daughters, Rhonda (Mark) Chilton and Renae Means both of Pinetop; four grandchildren, Jennifer Holladay of Katy, Texas; Sarah, Aaron and Laura Means of Pinetop; and four great-grandchildren, Kaitlyn, Brenton and Allison Holladay of Katy, Texas, and Elora Seidel of Pinetop. Services will be at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23, at Shepherd of the Hills United Methodist Church in Sun City West. Burial will be at Muscatine County Memorial Park. A gravesite service will be planned at a later time. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made in Ben's name to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum, 13515 Yarmouth Drive, Pickerington, Ohio 43147 or Hospice of the Valley, Surprise PCU, 14066 W. Waddell Road, Surprise, AZ 85379-8736. His daughters say to him, "Get on your bike and ride like the wind, Dad!"