According to local sources, an Army veteran from Michigan was killed in a vehicle accident while delivering bicycles to children injured by Hurricane Ian in Florida.
Steven Pringle, 57, was hit by another car on November 23 at an intersection in Punta Gordon that lacked a stop sign due to the huge storm.
The terrible event devastated the town, as many considered Pringle as a respected guy who “thrived on helping others,” according to a GoFundMe page established to assist with burial expenses.
“I’ve got people reaching out to me saying, ‘Your father changed my son’s life for the better,’” said his son, Jason, 38.
“One lady said, ‘We couldn’t afford a bicycle and your father gave my son a bicycle.’ I was really blown away at the impact that he had.”
In the 1980s, Pringle enrolled in the Army and served in Lebanon. He was born and reared in Marquette, Michigan. According to the Detroit Free Press, he had difficult times after coming home, losing his car dealership company and finally living in a trailer.
One day, after an epiphany, Pringle decided to open “Build a Bicycle — Bike Therapy” in Kingsford, a community-oriented bicycle store committed to assisting veterans suffering from PTSD and addiction.
“He went through a lot of things in his life and he had seen a lot of things, and I think at some point he really found God and really felt like God was with him in everything he did, and he really wanted to do as much good as he could,” his 39-year-old daughter, Torri Pringle, of Peoria, Illinois, said.
Pringle is survived by his six children, five grandchildren, girlfriend Lindsey, horse Andy, dog Lacey, and many customers.
According to Fox44, an improvised monument of a white-painted bicycle was placed at the crossroads where Pringle was killed, a customary memorial for victims of fatal incidents in the region.