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FALLS VILLAGE, CT – Renata Whitney got her Wish of a Lifetime this morning. After nearly three months of planning and one 
postponement, the 90-year-old motorcycle enthusiast from Torrington, CT took a 45-minute sidecar ride, joined on the loop through the hills of northwestern Connecticut by daughters Pamela Chambers of New Hartford, CT and Patricia Pearson of Goshen, CT.
How this tale originated depends on one’s perspective. It either began back in the winter when Whitney, who lives in the Brookdale Litchfield Hills senior living facility in Torrington, suggested that she’d be up for a sidecar ride. Or it began decades ago when the man who would become her husband, George Whitney, asked her to take a ride with him on his motorcycle, which resulted in her riding pillion for years.
It was Whitney’s desire to feel the wind in her face again that prompted a wish request to be sent the non-profit Wish of a Lifetime organization in Denver. Once approved, Wish of a Lifetime did an online search to locate someone who might be able to help out and in early April came across RIDE-CT & RIDE-NewEngland.
The ball quickly got rolling with ideas getting tossed around on how to make the day special. Most crucial was locating some sidecar operators. Toymakers Cafe in Falls Village offered to host the event. Bell Helmets and Doc’s Motorcycle Parts in Waterbury, CT provided a helmet and Explicit Airbrush in Southington, CT provided a custom paint job.
Bob Cole, general manager of Doc’s Motorcycle Parts, was on hand to present Whitney with the helmet and David Gelerter, regional sales rep for Bell Helmets, showed up as well. The helmet had Whitney’s “Nata” nickname across the front and sponsor logos elsewhere.
Before the ride, there were other surprises. Jack Potter of Torrington, who used to ride with George Whitney more than a half-century ago in the Torrington Motorcycle Club and knew Renata from the old days, arrived to wish her well. Carl Dunn, executive director of Brookdale Litchfield Hills, was also on hand.
Renata Whitney, left front, and Carl Dunn
After breakfast and the helmet presentation, it was time to ride. Allen Nathan brought a 500cc Royal Enfield, while Paul Siciliano brought a heftier Honda Gold Wing. The sidecar on the Gold Wing presented less of a challenge for Whitney to get in, so Siciliano became designated driver with Chambers riding pillion. Pearson joined Nathan in his sidecar.
Of course, there were obligatory pictures. Whitney wore a Harley-Davidson jacket from Torrington Harley-Davidson, which her late husband owned back in the 1950s. He passed away in 2002.
Eventually, after the hoopla, Whitney got her ride – a circuit that took her from Falls Village to Lime Rock Park racetrack, south on Route7 to West Cornwall and the covered bridge, and then the long way back to Toymakers Cafe for a celebratory cake.
Chambers summed up the event as being “amazing.” She added, “With all the talking back and forth, and having to cancel it once (when Whitney was unexpectedly hospitalized), it’s amazing that it came together.”
Maybe so, but it was sure worth it!
