#1:
Rochester Post Bulletin--
**Bike shop owner leaves behind fond memories**
The bicycle stand that once showed off the bicycle of cycling legend
Lance Armstrong now holds the bike of an Austin man many loved and respected.
A black-and-white photo of Daniel W. Ulwelling adorns one of walls at Rydjor
Bike Shop. Along with bike, the white and red biking shoes he wore for years
along with his black cycling gloves also are on display.
Ulwelling, 53, of Austin died Sunday morning at Saint Marys Hospital in
Rochester of cancer.
For many in the community, Ulwelling did for cycling in Austin what
Armstrong did nationally. But it was also his reputation as a loyal, caring
friend and businessman that made him well-liked. "He is my best friend,"
Mike Tischer, Rydjor Bike Shop manager said. "He is the greatest guy in the
world." Tischer remembered meeting Ulwelling in 1988, at age 15, and begging
for a job. "Dan is the foundation of the bike shop," Tischer said. The news
of Ulwelling's death has taken "a lot of wind out of everybody's sail."
Throughout Monday, people stopped by the shop on Main Street to recount
their favorite memories of a friend. Ulwelling and a friend first opened the
bike shop in 1973. The business was located at several sites before making
Main Street its home.
Dale VanDenover had known his boss and friend for 20 years. "What I'll
miss most, it's just him. ... Knowing that there was someone you could go
to and ask about anything." VanDenover said Ulwelling was a private person
and would be embarrassed if knew he was being written about. "He didn't
want any credit for anything," VanDenover said. "He just wanted to be Dan
and sit in the background."
Friends describe Ulwelling as a good, kind, tolerant, talented and fun
person. "Fun was his second name," Shirlee Stratton. "All of us, we can't
come up with one thing that anybody has ever said bad about Dan."
Bill Stratton, Shirlee's husband, had known Ulwelling for more than 40 years.
"He was just a caring and giving person to all his friends, in a nutshell,"
Bill Stratton added.
Dave Thomsen remembers buying his first bike from Ulwelling in 1975. He
credits Ulwelling for a lot of his success in competitive cycling. "The guy
was a great mentor, just a fantastic person," Thomsen said. "We can go on
talking for hours about the guy. ... I miss him big time."
Ulwelling graduated from Pacelli High School and Austin Community College. He and his wife, Katie, an Austin teacher, married in 1976. They have three children.
#2:
Tue, Jan 10, 2006
By Roxana Orellana
The Post-Bulletin
OBITUARY--Daniel W. Ulwelling, age 53, of Austin, died Sunday, Jan. 8,
2006, at St. Mary’s Hospital, Rochester, Minn.
He was born Aug. 15, 1952, in Austin, Minn., to Bernard and Vera (McGee)
Ulwelling. Dan graduated from Pacelli High School and the Austin Community
College. He was married to Kathleen Nelson on April 10, 1976, at the Church
of Christ in Austin.
Dan was the owner of the Rydjor Bike Shop in Austin and also the Rydjor
Shop that was located in Albert Lea. Dan was a member of the Southern
Minnesota Bicycling Club, Austin Chamber of Commerce, Design Committee for
Austin Main Street Project and the Austin Elks Club. Dan was an avid biker
and cross country skier who enjoyed doing carpentry, landscaping, drawing
and painting, reading, and was a vintage motocross rider.
He is survived by his wife, Katie Ulwelling, of Austin, Minn.; children:
Janelle Ulwelling and Patrick Voigt, of Austin, Minn.; Zak Ulwelling, of
Eden Prairie, Minn.; Dylane Ulwelling, currently stationed at Camp Shelby,
Miss.; parents, Ben and Vera Ulwelling, of Austin, Minn.; sisters and
brothers-in-law: Janet and Ken Ruzek, of Brooklyn Park, Minn.; Judy and
Jeff Lee of Rochester, Minn.; nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006, at 4 p.m. at
St. Augustine Catholic Church with Father Paul Nelson and Pastor Tracey
Chamberlain officiating. Private family interment will be at Grandview
Cemetery at a later date. Visitation will be held at the Clasen-Jordan
Mortuary today from 4-7 p.m. Friends may also greet the family in the church
hall following the memorial service on Wednesday.
Pianist will be Shirley Cahill. Soloist will be Erin Schumacher.
#3:
From the Rydjor Bike website:
Dan Ulwelling (1952-2006)
Rydjor Bike Shop lost one its founding partners with the passing of Dan
Ulwelling on January 8, 2006. Dan battled multiple myoloma, a form of
cancer, for 3 years the same way he lived his life - with grace and
humility.
Dan was the sole operator of Rydjor Bike Shop since 1992, when Pat left
Austin to pursue a career in Engineering. Dan's influence and taste can
still be seen in the shop. Dan was an avid collector of classic, antique,
and unique bikes. He is responsible for assembling Rydjor's collection
of 84 bikes that hang from our walls and ceilings. Dan knowledge of vintage
bikes was amazing.
Dan was also an accomplished artist and several of his paintings hang
from Rydjor's walls. In the above photo, you can see Dan's painting of fellow
Minnesotan and 3 time Tour winner Greg LeMond attacking 5-time Tour
winner Miguel Indurain, on a climb of the Tour De France.
Dan's influence and values will always be a part of Rydjor Bike Shop. He
is dearly missed by many.
Mrs. McAlister, 69, of Austin, a homemaker, died Saturday (June 7, 2003) at Austin Medical Center following a long illness with respiratory disease.