Close to two dozen motorcyclists took off from Taylor’s Service Center in Pennsbury Township Sunday as part of a suicide awareness event in honor of Dave Taylor Jr. Most of the riders wore black T-shirts with the motto: “Do It for Dave” on the front. On the back was a teal and purple yin/yang symbol and the words “Where there is darkness, there is light.”
The riders left the service station shortly after 10 a.m. and returned from the ride to and from the Conowingo Dam for a 1 p.m. gathering at the Pennsbury Township Park.
There was live music and speakers on suicide awareness, the impact on survivors, mental health, and stories about those who took their own lives. There was also a silent auction. Money raised is to be donated to one of two organizations. One is To Write Love on Her Arms. That organization is a nonprofit whose goal is to present hope for people struggling with addiction, depression, self-injury, and thoughts of suicide. The other organization is a newly created nonprofit named for Dave Taylor.
But the day — coming two days after World Suicide Prevention Day —was inspired by Dave Taylor Jr. whose father, Dave Sr., owns and operates the service center on Route 1 at Fairville Road across from Chadds Ford Elementary School.
Helen Taylor still chokes up when speaking of her 21-year-old son who died in February of 2020.
“I had to learn a new way to deal. He’s still with me,” she said. “For a year-and-a-half, I stared at the walls crying. My son helped everyone. You could call him at 2 or 3 in the morning, negative 8 degrees out, but he’d go out and help you. So, instead of keep asking myself ‘Why me,’ I asked what he would want. I can hear him saying I never wanted to do this. I don’t want any other family to feel this. The only way to do that is through awareness.”
She added that she deals with the grief by “knowing he’s still here.” She also said she chose the motorcycle run event because “He would have loved this.”
Chadds Ford’s Andy Bell knew the younger Taylor and confirmed his generosity, his desire to help others, and his skill on a motorcycle.
“He was just the nicest guy. He would do anything for you. Kind. You should have seen him ride a motorcycle. He’d get on a motorcycle and stand that thing up and go for about a mile on one wheel,” Bell said. “I was in shock when I heard he was gone. I couldn’t believe it.”
Helen Taylor said monetary donations can be made to www.doitforDaveSuicideAwarenes
David Taylor’s February 2020 obituary can be found here.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
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