WOODWARD — More than 200 motorcycle riders and several hundred mourners gathered at Billings Funeral Home in Woodward Thursday morning to bid farewell to a man known affectionately to the community as Mickey Mouse.
Steve "Mickey Mouse" Peil, 62, died Sunday in Amarillo, Texas, from wounds suffered in the tornado that tore through Woodward just after midnight that day. He was the first of the tornado's six victims, including three children, to be buried.
Bikers from across the region converged on Woodward Thursday morning to honor Peil, a long-time member of the Vietnam Vets and Legacy Vets Motorcycle Club and Northwest 69 chapter of A Brotherhood Aiming Towards Education (ABATE), a state-wide organization promoting motorcycle safety and education.
John "Sarge" Hood, state president of Vietnam Vets and Legacy Vets Motorcycle Club, said Thursday's gathering was "all about brotherhood."
"I've got brothers here from Arkansas, Kansas, Texas and all over Oklahoma," Hood said. "We're out here for our brother Mickey, to see him off. We do this for all our brothers. Mickey had been in the club for 17 years, and he was well known all over the United States."
"Muskrat," who asked to be identified only by his road name, was a fellow club member, rider and friend of Peil's for 24 years.
"I watched him come up through the club," he said of Peil. "We just wanted to get everybody out here and let everyone know we're here for him, and we're not going to go away ... as veterans or as motorcycle riders."
Jimmy Kidd Jr., known as "Wide Dog" in the motorcycle club, has been a Legacy Vet member since he was "eight or nine years old." He said being a Legacy Vet and riding with Peil was "the greatest honor ever."
"It's a great honor to be out here, to send a brother off in a way he should be sent off," Kidd said.
"Shooter," who asked to be identified by his road name, rode with Peil in Northwest 69 ABATE. He said the local ABATE members came out Thursday because "we lost a brother, and we just came out here to show him respect."
That sense of brotherhood was shared among the almost 300 riders who came out to honor Peil, many of whom had long known him as a close friend.
"He was a good friend of ours," said Todd Finley, Woodward Assistant Fire Chief and president of the local chapter of Red Knights, a firefighters' motorcycle club.
He remembered Peil as a friendly man who "always had a huge smile on his face."
"Whenever he saw you, you'd see that huge smile on his face, and he'd just come up and give you a big hug and a kiss," Finley said of Peil.
Peil was not a Red Knights member, but Finley said the brotherhood among bikers extends beyond club membership.
"He was a Vietnam veteran, and a lot of us are too," Finley said. "And, he was on two wheels, and we support anybody on two wheels. "
Woodward's firefighters also had a personal connection to Peil through the tragedy that brought an end to his life.
"A lot of us firefighters were the ones out here immediately after the tornado, one of our captains found Mickey and worked on him ... we just had a lot of connections with him."
Four of the state's seven Red Knights chapters sent riders to honor Peil, and to support their fellow firefighters.
While Peil had many close friends in the assembled honor guard, many more of the riders had never met Peil in life, but were drawn by the bond between bikers and veterans to honor his memory.
Chris McMullen, Sergeant At Arms for the Chisholm Trail 412 ABATE chapter of Enid, made to ride to Woodward with about 25 fellow chapter members. McMullen said he never had the chance to meet Peil, "but, that doesn't make any difference."
"He's a fallen brother, and an ABATE member and a Vietnam vet," McMullen said. "It's a brotherhood, and we want to be there for him and for each other."
Following Peil's funeral the motorcycles and more than 100 other vehicles processed to the grave site at Gnadenfeldt Cemetery, southwest of Woodward. The procession, which stretched for several miles, was led by the bikers in a display of chrome, loud pipes and American flags, a fitting tribute to a fallen rider.
Peil's widow, Kathe "Minnie" Peil, remains hospitalized due to injuries suffered in the tornado.
A fund has been created at First American Bank-Woodward to help Kathe Peil with ongoing expenses.
Donations may be made payable to the Peil Family Crisis Account and sent to P.O. Box 829, Woodward, OK 73802.
A similar crisis account has been created to support the Hobbie family.
Frank Hobbie, and his two daughters Faith Dean, 8, and Kelly Marie, 6, died in the tornado Sunday. The girls' 2-year-old brother. Ty Cooley. remains in a Lubbock, Texas hospital.
Donations may be made to Hobbie Family Crisis Account and sent to the same address at First American Bank.
http://enidnews.com/localnews/x2086601387/Funeral-held-for-Woodward-tornado-victim
"I watched him come up through the club," he said of Peil. "We just wanted to get everybody out here and let everyone know we're here for him, and we're not going to go away ... as veterans or as motorcycle riders."
Jimmy Kidd Jr., known as "Wide Dog" in the motorcycle club, has been a Legacy Vet member since he was "eight or nine years old." He said being a Legacy Vet and riding with Peil was "the greatest honor ever."
"It's a great honor to be out here, to send a brother off in a way he should be sent off," Kidd said.
"Shooter," who asked to be identified by his road name, rode with Peil in Northwest 69 ABATE. He said the local ABATE members came out Thursday because "we lost a brother, and we just came out here to show him respect."
That sense of brotherhood was shared among the almost 300 riders who came out to honor Peil, many of whom had long known him as a close friend.
"He was a good friend of ours," said Todd Finley, Woodward Assistant Fire Chief and president of the local chapter of Red Knights, a firefighters' motorcycle club.
He remembered Peil as a friendly man who "always had a huge smile on his face."
"Whenever he saw you, you'd see that huge smile on his face, and he'd just come up and give you a big hug and a kiss," Finley said of Peil.
Peil was not a Red Knights member, but Finley said the brotherhood among bikers extends beyond club membership.
"He was a Vietnam veteran, and a lot of us are too," Finley said. "And, he was on two wheels, and we support anybody on two wheels. "
Woodward's firefighters also had a personal connection to Peil through the tragedy that brought an end to his life.
"A lot of us firefighters were the ones out here immediately after the tornado, one of our captains found Mickey and worked on him ... we just had a lot of connections with him."
Four of the state's seven Red Knights chapters sent riders to honor Peil, and to support their fellow firefighters.
While Peil had many close friends in the assembled honor guard, many more of the riders had never met Peil in life, but were drawn by the bond between bikers and veterans to honor his memory.
Chris McMullen, Sergeant At Arms for the Chisholm Trail 412 ABATE chapter of Enid, made to ride to Woodward with about 25 fellow chapter members. McMullen said he never had the chance to meet Peil, "but, that doesn't make any difference."
"He's a fallen brother, and an ABATE member and a Vietnam vet," McMullen said. "It's a brotherhood, and we want to be there for him and for each other."
Following Peil's funeral the motorcycles and more than 100 other vehicles processed to the grave site at Gnadenfeldt Cemetery, southwest of Woodward. The procession, which stretched for several miles, was led by the bikers in a display of chrome, loud pipes and American flags, a fitting tribute to a fallen rider.
Peil's widow, Kathe "Minnie" Peil, remains hospitalized due to injuries suffered in the tornado.
A fund has been created at First American Bank-Woodward to help Kathe Peil with ongoing expenses.
Donations may be made payable to the Peil Family Crisis Account and sent to P.O. Box 829, Woodward, OK 73802.
A similar crisis account has been created to support the Hobbie family.
Frank Hobbie, and his two daughters Faith Dean, 8, and Kelly Marie, 6, died in the tornado Sunday. The girls' 2-year-old brother. Ty Cooley. remains in a Lubbock, Texas hospital.
Donations may be made to Hobbie Family Crisis Account and sent to the same address at First American Bank.
http://enidnews.com/localnews/x2086601387/Funeral-held-for-Woodward-tornado-victim