Ride 4 Evan W Honaker

(L-R) Matt Morgan, Erin Honaker, Kayla Decker, (brother and sisters)Larry Honaker (dad) Melonie Martin (mom) and in front is Noah Atkins (nephew)

By Len “3 WheeL” Montgomery

We have All lost loved ones. And until they

lose us, we will continue to lose loved ones. It is always sad and difficult to let go of those we love most. But we honor their memories in the retelling of their exploits and adventures. And that is what happened on the Memorial Run for Evan Honaker on Saturday, March 27, 2021.

I arrived at Cox’s Harley-Davidson that morning around 10am. There was already a good size crowd forming. The dealership had sectioned off the front parking area for riders that day to line up and get registered. There were doughnuts, coffee and water, memorial t-shirts and a DJ keeping things upbeat.

No sooner had I registered I was spotted by Evan’s mom. Melonie Martin and I had been friends in school, but not seen each other in many, MANY years. Don’t ask how many (there’s no need to embarrass us about our age). But it was so good to see her, though different circumstances would have been preferential. Melonie introduced me to Evan’s dad, Larry “Buc” Honaker and their three other children. They were all thankful for the huge show of love for Evan.

But let me take a step back and tell you a bit about why we were all gathered. On Christmas night, 2020, Evan was shot and killed trying to defend his friend who had been stabbed 12 times. The scripture, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.” (John 15:13 NKJV) comes to mind.

Evan’s mother recounted the event for me as follows. “Evan had gone to a party with a friend who had a confrontation with two brothers. His friend got stabbed 12 times and was left for dead (thankfully he did survive). Evan was trying to defend his friend when one of the two brothers pulled a gun and shot him twice.

This happened in Davidson County (2700 block of Friendship Ledford Rd). Evan’s friends picked him up and put him in his car to take him to get medical attention. They made it about a mile down the road before law enforcement stopped them. Someone had called 911. Sadly, Evan died in the backseat of his car, on the side of the road, never making it to the hospital.

Seven eyewitnesses all told the same story, that Evan was only trying to protect his friend who had already been stabbed. The brothers were questioned and released, claiming selfdefense.” To date no charges have been filed.

Evan was a top-notch auto technician. He loved riding his Harley- Davidson, going mudding on four wheelers, dirt bikes, and Razors (his brother Matt is in a Razor riding group). Of course, the muddier he got; the more Evan loved it.

According to Melonie, Evan had a little crooked smile (his signature). She called it his goofy smile. He loved playing pranks on others. In September 2020 his siblings and friends were all terrorized by Evan and the crab he had found on the beach. He chased them all around all night.

Tiffany, owner of Burke St Pub, loved Evan because he protected her business as if it were his own. He began working there when he was 22 and he was soon joined by his dad, Larry “Buc” Honaker.

Buc was close to Evan. They did lots of things together in addition to working at Burke Street Pub. They would work out together where Evan would push Buc. Of course, it was a chore to keep up with Evan in the weight room. But it was about quality time with his son. When asked what he would miss the most, through teary eyes, Buc said simply. “The way Evan would kiss his cheek and tell him he loved him.”

Melonie said she would really miss the secret talks she would have with Evan. He would share things with her that many would never know. He was true to himself. He was a religious young man that always had a cross on him, in his car, in his wallet, around his neck. Evan loved everyone. He treated everyone the same, whether they were a member of a club or the pastor of a church. And he both influenced, and was influenced, by a wide range of people of all ages.

Melonie also recalled a time that Evan called to tell her he had done something that day. She braced for the worst. But Evan began relaying the story of how he had stopped for lunch at Bojangles. While eating he had noticed a homeless man who was not eating. After he finished his meal, Evan noticed the man walking away and had dropped one of his gloves. Evan took the opportunity to return the glove, stuffed with whatever cash Evan had on him. He didn’t do it for recognition, he didn’t even let the man know the cash was there. He knew he would find it eventually.

I spoke with many people that day from all age brackets that had been impacted by Evan’s love of life, his outgoing personality and his focus on the future. Evan’s childhood friend Zack shared one of his favorite memories. “We walked into a Walmart to buy eggs to egg somebody’s house. We walk out and look over at Evan and he has a big boy bird chilling on his shoulder. He said, “I’m going to keep this one. His name is Jeffrey.” That bird sat on Evan’s dashboard the whole time.” Tyler Rodriguez also shared. “We all have good memories, but probably one of the best memories I have of Evan, we all went down to the haunted hospital in Statesville (Davis Asylum?). We (Evan and Tyler) were with these two girls. We went inside and Evan had a little wooden baseball bat. We hear this big bang, and we outran the girls. We were out and the girls were screaming at the top of their lungs. Evan had scared the shit out of us.” Leaving out from Cox’s Harley-Davidson in Asheboro with Evan’s brother Matt leading the run riding Evan’s bike, everyone headed to C&S Customs in Lexington with nearly 100 in the entourage on bikes and in cars and trucks. The parking area filled up quickly and everyone again began to share memories of Evan. The next stop was Clemmons Motorcycle in Winston-Salem. Melonie rode on the back with Matt on this leg of the run, her first time on Evan’s bike. Just as the riders pulled in, the rain began to sprinkle. The group decided to make a mad dash to Baggerz Saloon to wait out the storm. We didn’t make it far before the bottom fell out! Everyone got soaked. I recall one of the female riders, Meagan, taking off her boots and socks wringing them out, and while putting them back on saying, “Putting wet socks back on SUCKS!” You are so right, Meagan!!

The next stop was scheduled to be Honda of WinstonSalem. But due to the rain delay, and the number of folks who decided to swing by for dry clothes before the final stop, we didn’t make it by there. But I’m sure the family would like them to know they appreciate the hospitality that was offered for the run. The run ended in Advance where it seemed an entire new group was gathered to honor Evan. There was food, a live music courtesy of “Hawthorne Curve” (a really great local band), raffles and a room full of love.

Though I never met Evan personally, I left knowing he was loved by so many. His family plans to make this Memorial Run and annual event. I know they would appreciate your support in honoring the Evan’s memory. If you would like to do something to help now with expenses, or with the annual memorial run, you can reach out to Melonie Martin – Meloniejane2011@yahoo.com, Larry “Buc” Honaker – Larry. honaker@hotmail.com or Matt Morgan – mattmancbr1@ gmail.com.

Melonie Martin (Evan's Mom) rode on the back with Evan's brother Matt