Mack McCollum, 1948-2009

by Sandy
(Memphis, TN)

In Memory of Mack

Mack came into this world challenging authority and rules that made no sense to him
He didn’t accept that he was here to live the way someone else felt he should.
And he was not willing to enter the “rat race”, accumulating material things.
He believed the only way to be truly happy was to fulfill the cries of his heart,
To do the things he loved the most, to forge his own path and make his own way.

For Mack, that meant that as soon as he was old enough to do so,
He bought a Harley Davidson and joined a motorcycle club.
He had Brothers then that would be there throughout his life and helped to established
a code of conduct among bikers that would set a standard for decades.
He and a few like him, became the stuff Legends are made of, they made history.
And though he may have made mistakes, as we all do, he never betrayed those he loved.

Mack had a heart that was pure and a spirit that always yearned for something else,
Something beyond our limited vision or understanding.
He was faithful to himself, his Brothers and his patch..
He never ran from trouble or turned his back on the beliefs that he held most sacred.
He was a real biker, a true Brother and though he did not love easily,
When he loved someone, he loved them for life.

Mack had a quiet strength and a strong presence that were undeniable
And only lost his composure when he or someone he loved was threatened
He did not care what other people thought of him or the things that he did
Because to him, only those within his inner circle counted.
He never gave anyone the power to control him but if he loved someone,
He would set aside his own needs and desires to make them happy.

I was blessed to have met Mack, to have fallen so completely in love with him,
To have married him and shared 15 years of my life with him
To have been changed forever as a result of having known him
And to have been there holding on to him when his spirit passed from this world.
And though I know I can no longer physically reach out and touch him,
I still find him in my soul, deep down where no one can take him from me.

Mack is now free from the chains that still bind those of us he left behind
He no longer feels pain or fear or sorrow, only peace and true freedom
And if heaven truly is a place where we find supreme happiness,
Mack has already been reunited with the Brothers that had gone on before him
And together, they are roaring through the skies on their bikes
Watching over those of us who miss them so much
And if heaven doesn’t have Harleys, I promise you Mack’s wings are made of chrome.