May 1 we lost a true friend, and the country lost another war hero. John Matson died in a motorcycle crash at 7:45 P.M. doing what he loved most – riding one of his custom creations, the “hog-wing”.
John went to Super Bike school six times and had a racing career cut short by a life threatening crash. Motorcycles were a second skin to John. Nobody was better on a bike, but as we found out he was not invincible.
Like many of our returning combat veterans, John had many personal tragedies, and he accepted them in stride. He believed that you must take responsibility for your actions, and he did. One of his favorite expressions was stop whining, accept the consequences, and move on.
John was an unbelievable talent and will be sorely missed on the farm. You were my best friend and I will miss your zest for life – RIP buddy!
John Ress
Freedom Farm for Vets 