Afghan vet, wife killed in motorcycle crash remembered in ride
As hundreds of motorcycles roared past, Don Mooney stood by the side of the highway. Dressed in a blue suit and tie, he waved, smiled and clenched his fists above his head.
Mooney was grateful for the show of support Saturday for Philip Mooney, 39, who died along with his wife, Courtney Mooney, 37, in a head-on crash June 12. The ride took place prior to the funeral.
“We were very proud of him,” said Susan Mooney in a simple tribute as she stood alongside her husband, remembering their son together. “He was a very good man.”
Many of the riders were with the Northern Knights chapter of Nam Knights, a military and law enforcement support motorcycle club. They touched their helmets to Don and the family as they drove from the meeting place for the ride, an industrial site near CFB Edmonton at the intersection of Valour Avenue and Ordnance
Road. They were heading to the site of the tragic crash, which left two children, 11-year-old Ashton and Hannah, 14, without parents.
There were choppers and street bikes, dirt bikes and motorcycles with sidecars. One sidecar held a German shepherd; a little girl perched in another. Some of the ride participants knew the couple, others only knew their story.
“I’m out here to support those who loved them,” said rider Steve Nicklasson. “Everyone is stronger together.”
A lifelong motorcycle devotee, Philip belonged to Nam Knights, and was renowned for his support of military veterans. Both he and Courtney worked as volunteers in the veterans’ community, helping homeless vets get off the street.
A veteran of two tours in Afghanistan, Philip had struggled himself with the after-effects of war.
“It really affected him, because he believed in saving lives, and he knew bad things happened there, especially with the children,” said his father. But after connecting with Nam Knights, Philip was regaining his mental health, says his mother, and doing the things he loved again.
“Nam Knights saved his life,” said Susan. “They gave me back my son.”
Philip came from a line of people who loved motorcycles, including his father and grandfather. He got his first motorized bike, a 90cc Honda, when he was nine. It had a red wagon that Philip pulled behind the bike, and he used to take his grandmother (who was tiny) for rides in it at the family farm.
“She would say ‘slow down Philip,’ ” recalled Susan, chuckling even as she dabbed her eyes with a tissue.
The Mooneys were northbound on 17 Street when they collided head-on with a Ford Focus, whose driver received serious but non-life threatening injuries. Police have asked for witnesses to the crash to come forward. Friends and family have set up a Gofundme page for the couple’s two children.