Roy Wiegand, who ran and biked ultra distances for a number of charitable causes in the local community and beyond has died after being hit by a pickup truck while riding his bike to raise money for clean water for the Navajo Nation.
Wiegand, who was 60, was participating in an event called ‘Roy’s Ride’.
According to source Byron Fry, Wiegand was in the last few days of riding 2,500 miles to raise money. Wiegand was in the Santa Cruz area of Northern California on Saturday when he succumbed to his injuries.
A day before his passing, Wiegand posted on Facebook that had completed his 25th day and he thanked those who had let him spend the night at their home and said that he had driven 72 miles for the day. He noted that donations had topped $26,000 during the journey.
“Roy was one of the kindest most unselfish men I have ever known,” friend Steven Seekins wrote on Facebook. “I grieve for his family as he was doing what he loved to help others.”
Wiegand did a number of charity runs to honor the memory of Burbank’s Christopher Wilke, who died at age 12 in 2014 from a rare form of cancer. One of the runs went 86 miles from Anaheim Stadium to the city of Santa Clarita and traveling through Burbank on the way.
Vice Mayor Nick Schultz posted condolences on Facebook.
“Just heard the horrible news that Roy Wiegand passed away. I did not know Roy very well, but it was immediately apparent to me that Roy was a passionate and caring man,” Schultz said. “Roy was in the final days of a 2,500-mile journey to raise money for the Navajo Water Project. Rest in peace, Roy. My thoughts and prayers are with the Wiegand family.”
Wiegand and his wife Angela both worked in the music industry. In addition to his wife, he is survived by two children.
