Our thanks to everyone at thinkMTB and SHARE mountain biking clubs for keeping this memorial and memory of Mark alive.
Starting in September of 2015, Mike Soursby and Tom Malone (both with thinkMTB mountain biking club) started a regular maintenance routine on the bench. At that time, they sanded it, and re-applied varnish.
In July of 2016, maintenance was again done.
In March of 2017, more maintenance.
In July of 2017, more maintenance was done.
At the start of June of 2018, the bench had weathered so bad, that Mike removed the bench and brought it to his home, to do a complete restoration of it. It was so bad off, from water leaking in at some of the cracks, that the insides had to be filled with LOTS of Bondo (what’s used for car body work) and we were just hoping that would last. At the end of the month, Mike had finished, and it was re-installed in Whiting.
By January of 2019, unfortunately, the bench was on its last legs, even with all the hard work previously performed. There was just no way around it, a new bench was needed. The folks at Rim Nordic gave Mike another log, and he drove up there and brought it to his garage to dry out - it was VERY green, and contained lots of sap, which needed to exit before it could be stained and varnished. Mike & his wife Linda stripped the bark off as soon as they got it home, so it could dry.
By January of 2020, the log given to Mike, despite being inside the garage for an entire year, was still very green, and dripping sap. Luckily, another thinkMTB member Kurt Wiemann, was head of a city’s landscaping department, and he was able to procure a complete dry tree, and had it sawed in half! Mike & Linda stripped it of most of the lose bark, stained and oiled it. This time, there would be no clear lacquer applied. This would make future maintenance better, and allow the wood to breath.
In February of 2020, the existing bench was removed from the top of Dreaded Hill, with expectations that it would be replaced within a few months.
Unfortunately, a week before the planned install, Covid hit the OC Parks, and no volunteers were now allowed in to perform the work.
In March of 2020, the bench was moved to another thinkMTB club members (Dan O’Brien) machine shop, where he would do the metal work required for the base supports and ‘arms’ that held the back to the bottom portion.
At this same time, SHARE Mountain bike club paid the $1000+ cost of the metal work, which was a great assistance.
Due to Covid, a fire in Whiting park (10/2020) and mountain lion sightings (2/2021) the bench install was delayed for over a year.
In May of 2021, we were cleared from Covid restrictions, and able to install the bench.
You can find the install photo’s here:
https://thinkmtbclub.smugmug.com/GivingBackTrailMaintenance/2020-03-xx-New-Marks-Bench-in-Whiting
Our thanks to everyone at thinkMTB and SHARE mountain biking clubs for keeping this memorial and memory of Mark alive.
BIKE FUND
Gary and Dona Reynolds have established a charity in their son’s honor to continue his tradition of giving needy children their first bicycle. The charity is the Mark J. Reynolds Children’s “First” Bicycle Fund, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization. Anyone wishing to donate to the fund can do so via mail or internet:
BY MAIL…
Mark J. Reynolds Memorial
Children's "First" Bicycle Fund
C/O Farmers State Bank
P.O. Box 8242
St Joseph, Mo 64508
Or
Mark Reynolds Bike Fund
3123 Gene Field
St Joseph, MO 64506
Make check payable to “Mark J. Reynolds Memorial”
ONLINE: