Sad Passing of Dave Roper

On behalf of the Sudbury Motor Cycle Club it is with deepest sorrow and sadness to hear of the passing of Dave Roper. Dave was the Chairman of our Club since 1986 and through his enthusiasm and drive he took the Club to another level. The many people I have talked to were shocked, stunned and gutted of losing not only a fellow motor cyclist but a very great friend.

Dave enjoyed his sport whether it was riding or organising and would help anyone. He has ridden for his country and has been in a winning Great Britain team. He was well known and like not only in this country but also on mainland Europe.

Our thoughts go out to Bev and the family and to thank them for letting us share him.

A book of condolences has been opened and all messages can be sent to sudbury@sudburymcc.co.uk

The Funeral is on Tuesday 18th August 2009 11.30am at St Andrews Church, Great Yeldham

Roger Chaplin

The following is reproduced from an article in the Colchester Gazette:

Devoted dad Dave Roper, 57, an experienced rider who had competed across Europe, came off his Yamaha YZF250 bike at a classic motocross event at Canada Heights, Kent, on July 5. As the father-of-four fell, his leg got jammed in the back wheel of another bike and he hit his head, knocking him out.

He was kept in an induced coma, on life support, for almost three days while he recovered sufficiently to breathe on his own, but remained in a coma. His daughter Sarah Jane, 20, said: “He was fighting so hard. He was opening his eyes.”

His widow Bev, 52, who met her husband when she was 14, added: “We didn’t leave his side. We could tell he was coming back to us, little by little, each day. “It’s just such a tragedy. He was just an adorable, fun-loving man. We never had a big argument in the whole 32 years of marriage. “He was a very much-loved husband and a devoted dad.”

Former Hedingham School pupil Mr Roper died on July 20, after a blood clot travelled from his ankle to his lung, a post-mortem examination revealed. His son, Stevie, 30, said the family still wanted to know how he came to fall in the first place and was hoping an inquest might yield further information when it was held sometime in the next six months.

Mr Roper, who was also involved in taking medical aid to orphanages and hospitals in Romania, grew up in Pebmarsh, but settled in Little Yeldham with his family. After secondary school, he was apprenticed as a mechanic to Earls Colne civil engineering firm C A Blackwell, where he worked until he was made redundant last year. He then started his own business, DR4X4.

Stevie, who also races and represented Great Britain at under-21 level, said: “He just loved life. He crammed as much in as he physically could. He just loved racing. He was a really hard-working man. He used to work from 7am until 10pm.”

Daughter Sarah Jane, who worked with him, added: “We’re the proudest kids in the world to call him our dad.
“People called him Dave Roper World Champion because he inspired so many others to ride. He’s got billions of trophies.”

Mr Roper had been chairman of the Sudbury Motorcycle Club since 1986. He also leaves sons Rick, 28, and Jamie, 21.