Memorial to Fallen Seven unveiled in Randolph

RANDOLPH — Four months after seven motorcyclists were killed in a horrific accident on Route 2, family and friends returned to honor their memories with the unveiling of a monument within sight of the accident scene.

The ceremony, held at noon last Saturday, was an emotional occasion with plenty of hugs and tears.

For some, like Jarheads Motorcycle Club President Manny Ribeiro, it was the first time back in Randolph since the accident. The Jarheads Motorcycle Club, consisting of current and retired Marines and their families, had left the Mount Jefferson View Motel that fateful day, headed to the Gorham Legion to prepare for their annual meeting the next day.

Ribeiro was riding with the group of Jarheads, next to then club president Albert Mazza, when a pick-up truck driven by Volodymyr Zhukovskyy crossed the center line and hit the motorcycles head-on.

Riberio survived with minor injuries but Mazza, 59, of Lee; Daniel Pereira, 58, of Riverside, R.I.; Michael Ferrazi, 62, of Contoocook; Aaron Perry, 45, of Lee; Desma Oakes, 42; of Concord, and Edward and Joan Corr, both 58 of Lakeview, Mass., were killed.

Ribeiro said Saturday was a tough day for him and other Jarheads as they struggled with memories of the accident and the loss of their fellow Marines. But at the same time, he said the monument will ensure friends and family that their loved ones will not be forgotten.

Ribeiro called the monument “perfect” and noted it is “definitely not your average memorial.”

The memorial is a steel replica of the five motorcycles, riding east in formation based on club seniority with the names of the victims engraved on their motorcycles.

The riderless motorcycles have a set of wings for each person on the bike. Weighing 4,000-pounds and 30-foot long, the memorial is on Mount Jefferson View Motel property adjacent to the motel.

Justin Spencer of the Manchester-based band, Recycled Percussion, said when the band heard about the accident it wanted to do something.

He noted that the band has reached out in many difficult situations including after the mass shooting in Las Vegas.

Recycled Percussion began fundraising for a memorial for the Fallen Seven, Spencer said, and he contacted Summit Metal Fabricators in Plaistow about making a replica of the five motorcycles.

The company created the monument for free and Recycled Percussion donated the $20,000 it raised to the Jarhead Club.

Spencer said he hopes the monument will bring some healing.

“I’ve been in places where my heart hurts like a lot of you today,” he said.

Dewald Steinmann of the Mount Jefferson View Motel called the monument amazing and said the motel is committed to keeping it there permanently to remember the accident victims. He said Recycled Percussion has promised to cover the cost of creating a small parking area for the monument.

Local and state officials were caught off guard when news of the ceremony was announced on Facebook on Wednesday, because no one had notified authorities.

State police and the N.H. Department of Transportation held a conference call with local officials to hastily put together a plan for traffic control, given that the posting had over 121,000 hits. Despite the lack of notice, state police were on the scene directing traffic on Route 2 on Saturday and DOT put up traffic warnings and cones around the scene.

The Gorham American Legion has been meeting with Randolph officials for several months to put a granite memorial for the Fallen Seven on a section of the Randolph Community Forest near the accident site. The town and Legion are finalizing a memorandum of understanding for the memorial.

Zhukovskyy, 23, of West Springfield, Mass., has been charged with seven counts of negligent homicide. He has pleaded not guilty and is being held without bail.