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Patriot Guard Rider from Davenport dies in South Dakota motorcycle crash

An Illinois man was the other driver.
doug-boemecke

CUSTER, S.D. (AP) — A Davenport man and Patriot Guard Rider participant has died in a motorcycle accident in South Dakota near Custer State Park.

The South Dakota Highway Patrol says two motorcycles were traveling together on state Highway 87, failed to negotiate a curve and went in the ditch Wednesday afternoon.

Seventy-two-year-old Douglas Boemecke, of Davenport, Iowa, died at the scene. The other motorcycle was driven by his son Timothy Boemecke, 52, Fallon, Illinois. Timothy was transported to a South Dakota hospital and is being treated for serious, but non life-threatening injuries.

Neither bike had any passengers.

According to Eric Swanson of the Quad-Cities area Patriot Guard Riders, Douglas Boemecke was a four-year member of the organization.

“Doug was always ready to lend a helping hand and take on any mission sent his way, especially on extremely short notice, anywhere he was asked to go,” Swanson wrote in an email tribute to Boemecke.  “His propensity for working with people, his attention to detail and researching and analyzing every aspect of every mission was outstanding.  Although not a veteran himself, his 3 sons all retired from military service after very successful careers.  His love of our military members was self-evident from minute one.”

Swanson said Doug was born and raised on a small family farm near Guttenberg, Iowa and moved to Davenport after high school, where he started working as a stock boy at a grocery store, eventually working his way up to manager. He eventually opened his own store, Mr B’s in Milan.

 

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