VANCOUVER, WA (KPTV) -
It didn't matter who was going on a motorcycle ride. If she was available, Norma Perrone would be there on her Harley Davidson.
Friends say that's why the 64-year-old Happy Valley woman joined three motorcycle groups - the Vancouver Coyotes, the Portland Roadrunners and the Portland Oregon Women Riders.
"Whenever anybody had a ride, she was on it. Anytime she could, she wanted to ride," said Steve Johnson, who rides with the Coyotes.
Members of all three groups gathered at Cascade Bar & Grill in Vancouver Wednesday night to remember Perrone, who was shot and killed at her home Sunday evening.
Jason Hogan Jr., is accused of shooting Perrone and his girlfriend, Gina Perrone, Norma Perrone's daughter.
"The suddenness and the circumstances are just horrific. Just took everybody by surprise," said Johnson. "It's been a sad week for me. It has been for everyone I talked to."
Her passion for riding and her feisty spirit endeared Perrone to the people she rode with.
"She was friendly to everybody. As soon as you met her, you fell in love with her," said Johnson. "That smile of hers and her laugh. I'll remember her laugh forever. She was a pretty remarkable woman. We did help to pick up her bike a couple of times though."
Perrone was a human resources coordinator at Portland law firm Davis Wright Tremaine. She began riding motorcycles three years ago and was notorious for laying her bike down on the road while making a slow stop. And because her legs were short, Perrone often needed help with her kickstand.
Those quirks were among the stories shared at Wednesday's gathering. The group also toasted Perrone, using shot glasses of soda water because she was sober after suffering from alcoholism.
"I know if you were to stand on your porch in the evening, you'd probably hear the roar of a Harley coming from the heavens," Ed Reynolds said in a toast. "It's Norma riding the highways."
"That is after she picks her bike up," someone added.
A memorial ride is scheduled for Tuesday. Riders will meet at Team Latus Harley Davidson in Gladstone at 7 p.m., then ride to Multnomah Falls for a candlelight vigil.
Friends said the route was one of Perrone's favorite rides.
Copyright KPTV 2012 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.
