Les Sires, an avid cyclist, former editor of the JCBC newsletter, has passed on. Laurie Chipman has sent this:
One of our Brookside riders, Les Sires, died yesterday from ALS. Les was a dedicated cyclist and frequently rode his green Surley bike with us until he got to 79th and Lamar, then he would go home. I think he was on his way home from work and he would include us in his commute. He was an example to us of how you can commute with your bike and the bus, which he did from Overland Park to downtown. He had gone to the trouble to figure out how to use his bike and the bus in combination. He was an avid touring cyclist and rode the KATY trail with his bike loaded and camped on the way across. He has a webpage to talk about cycling issues. http://home.everestkc.net/bkr795/
Les was an inspiration to us all and he will be missed.
The service will be Friday, January 27th @ 10:30 a.m. at D.W. Newcomer & Sons Johnson County Funeral Home @ 112th & Metcalf; the service will start at 11:00. He wanted to be cremated and his memorial vessel will be on display. I plan on giving the eulogy myself and would like to invite anyone who would like to participate in his service with a story or a reading to please let me know and we will arrange it. We want his service to be a celebration of his life, which he lived head-on. Les did not want a religious service. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to The ALS Association, Keith Worthington Chapter, 8340 Mission Road, Suite B4, Prairie Village, KS 66206 OR NothCare Hospice, 2900 Clay Edwards Drive, North Kansas City, MO 64116.