It’s with a heavy heart that I inform you that Mike “Lone Star” Christenson was killed in a motorcycle accident November 19.

Lone Star and I were both on the first Patriots Pack ride in 2015 and we’ve ridden together every year since (except 2020 b/c of COVID), crossing the US several times as we rode from Scottsdale to DC and everywhere in-between.

You learn a lot about a person when you spend that much time with them. During our months together on the road Mike became one of my favorite people ever.

There is no better example of a truly good person. He’s the first person to jump out of a chair and offer it to a total stranger. He would race ahead to open a door for people he didn’t know. Mike would give the shirt off his back to anyone. He’s the kind of person that makes you take stock in yourself and think “I need to be more like that guy.”

Lone Star would talk to anyone and everyone. Maybe it was that big smile or maybe it was that Texas drawl of his, but whatever it was, he made everyone feel good when he was around. His priority was that everyone around him was OK, comfortable and had what they needed. And he wouldn’t sit or relax until he accomplished that.

Mike was the heart and soul of our many rides. He literally kept the bikes running and there’s no one you would rather have on a ride more than him. He had parts and tools and zip ties and everything he might need to get us to the next stop. He fixed my rattling pipe on our last adventure, burning his finger in doing so. He was our caretaker.

No one was more willing to pitch in and help than Lone Star. Whether it was clearing a massive tree from across our path in Shreveport or coordinating our visit to one of the last remaining Tuskegee Airman this past May, Mike was the guy that got things done.

No day ever started without clean windshields and every one of us on those rides knows who did them each morning while we were still sleeping. He was one of the most thoughtful people I have ever met.

I am honored for the time our paths crossed and I will miss him dearly. He was a great man and if you had the fortune to meet him, you know all of this already. My thoughts and prayers go to the love of his life, Donna and his family, who he was so proud of, showing pictures of his grown kids to all who would look at them. Rest in Peace Lone Star. We will never forget you.