Anyone involved in the extreme long distance riding community, not only in Texas, but in the entire United States knows about the great-grandmother and epic endurance rider, Ardys Kellerman.
Some might wonder why we didn’t report her death on June 25, 2013, on a highway in Alabama when it happened. Well, maybe there was more than a little denial that this force of nature, this unstoppable woman was stopped, finally at 81 years old, astride her motorcycle, of course. The sad details are chronicled by the Al.com, Alabama newsblog here.
But let’s celebrate a life well lived, Ardys was a veteran of too many Iron Butts to count. She started competing in Iron Butt rallies as a grandmother. In 2011, she and Voni Glaves were officially recognized as the first female BMW riders in North America to cover one million miles. May we all be deserving of such honors at 79 years old.
We, at RIDE TEXAS® tried many times to interview Ardys, but she never stood still long enough for us to get an interview out of her. She was way too modest. Her answer always, when we asked, was “Oh. I’m not interesting. You should really interview…[she’d name some other endurance rider].” What we did drag out of here was that when she was a young girl, she pretended to be a boy so she could race cars at the local track where she grew up. And this was during even the pre-Mad Men era, a time when girls were certainly not allowed to race cars, or anything else. There really was no stopping her.
Ardys Kellerman, “Queenie” to her friends, is someone to respect for her accomplishments, and she is missed terribly by all those who knew her.
Godspeed, Queenie!
Fundraiser for Queenie
Lone Star BMW/Triumph Motorycles is collecting donations to help Ardys Kellerman’s family in Rhode Island with the unexpected expenses associated with her loss. 110% of all donations received will be used to help Ardys’ family with the costs of closing up her residence here in Texas and returning her personal property to her daughters. Ardys had many friends all over the United States.
Please share this fundraising request with friends who may not see it here. Any donation, large or small will be greatly appreciated.
Please send your donations to the following address:
Queenie c/o Robert Krull
Lone Star BMW / Triumph
10600 N Lamar Blvd
Austin, TX 78753
Please make your checks payable to: Robert Krull (a longtime personal friend of Ardys’)
Questions? Call (512) 451-7979
