"Shakey" John Horton

His wife Kara presented us with John's ashes around 1:30 pm after the funeral. We then lead the procession of motorcycles down bond road to Hansville highway and head towards the tribal center on little Boston road. We showed support and respect for not only John and his family but for all of the bikers in the county.

John would have loved to see a huge pack of bikes riding together to honor him. He is one of us and will not soon be forgotten. Never forgotten by us. His patch and his ribbons have been retired to a place of honor and respect given to all our fallen brothers. I respected John for his many years of military service and the wars that he fought in. Thrugh him and thousands of others, our freedom is guaranteed. How can you argue that point? He passed away doing what he loved to do best. Riding his Harley with his brothers.

I only knew john for a few years. And he touched me deeply in that short period of time. But what I did learn of him was that he loved life. He loved his life long partner and wife Kara. He loved his kids very, very much. He was very proud of his military service. He loved his motorcycle. He loved his brothers who he shared his patch with. He loved his job here at Custom Cycles NW. He enjoyed life a lot. According to Kara, he was very ecstatic of late and for that I am greatly pleased. He will be missed greatly by all of us at the shop and with the club.

Ride hard brother.

David "Fall Down" Broussard

May, 2006
In May of 2006 on mother's day, one of our close friends and life long hells angel supporter David "fall down" Broussard passed away. Some cager pulled out in front of him from a hidden driveway near his home in Belfair and having no time to react fall down buried his precious Harley into the cage. Dave had just begun to feel better and had been out more recently on his scooter getting some wind and enjoying life a lot more than he had in the past. He will be very much missed by my crew, myself, the entire membership of dirt & grime mc, and to all of those who knew him around our neck of the woods.

He was a true brother to those of us who knew him. a die-hard hells angels supporter who let you know as soon as you met him where he stood. He was always great to have around our shop and the clubhouse. He always had something to say to the young members here and he drew the respect he deserved.

Hope he's now resting well and riding all the time he wants.
Ride hard brother. Ride forever.
180/out

Jim "Step" Stephenson

November 7, 2006
Step Jim "Step" Stephenson passed away peacefully at age 54 years young on October 26 after a 6-month battle with cancer. Step had been a Bremerton resident and businessman in Manette for nearly 30 years as owner of Step’s Chop Shop - a motorcycle repair and parts shop specializing in Harley-Davidson motorcycles (although he was known to work on the occasional foreign bike if it was a real emergency.

Step was born in Benge, WA, and enlisted in the Navy the year after graduating from high school in Huntington Beach, CA, in 1970. He was a missile technician, serving on the submarine USS ROBERT E. LEE for 6 years until his medical discharge for a back injury. He was diligent about attending annual reunions with his shipmates.

Step’s Chop Shop was opened in 1978 across the street from the current location in Manette and has been a fixture in the community ever since. The shop will remain open to serve Step’s many loyal customers and friends under the capable hands of his brother, "Lucky" Stephenson.

Step was a true biker (living and breathing Harley-Davidson) and was a true friend to nearly everyone he met. He made many trips to the annual bike rally in Sturgis and rode his motorcycles through every state except Alaska. He had many memories and some wild stories from his trips. Over 400 motorcycles participated in a poker run fund-raising event held for Step during his illness - a testimony to just some of the lives he touched over the years.

In 2003, Step realized a life-long dream of completing his chopper. It is a tribute to General Robert E. Lee, and he called his silver and gray chopper "Traveler" in recognition of Lee’s war horse. Several other choppers in the county that were built by him or in his shop are affectionately called the "Stepchildren" series.

In 1997, he met Della Dunning and June 5, 2004, his life was made even more complete with their marriage. With that union, he gained a son (Amos), a daughter (Crystal and her husband Ryan), and eventually 3 beautiful granddaughters (Kayla, Gracie and Clarissa). He had 4 children, 7 grandchildren and thoroughly enjoyed being entertained by his grandchildren.

He and Della were active with the Manette Community Church, supported the Kitsap Bluejackets as season-ticket holders, and enjoyed attending Mariners games with friends. In 2005, he discovered that the life of a fisherman was pretty enjoyable when he made a 2-week boat trip up the inside passage and spent a week fishing in southeast Alaska with friends.

For those who are able, donations may be made at any Bank of America branch to "Step’s Fund." In honor of Step’s wishes, a memorial service will be held Saturday, November 11 at 12:00 noon at Manette Community Church. Until we meet again, goodbye dear husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend to many. You made a positive, life-long imprint on all our lives and may you have peace knowing that.