A life of philanthropy ends with one last bike ride for Burbank’s Roy Wiegand
In his final Instagram post Saturday afternoon, Burbank resident and professional trumpet player Roy Wiegand celebrated his latest milestone with a giant breakfast burrito.
The 60-year-old ultra marathoner and cyclist was refueling after traversing 2,500 miles on his bicycle in 25 days and in the process raising $26,000 to help improve access to clean drinking water for the Navajo Nation.
Wiegand ventured through San Francisco and Yosemite and braved 110-plus degree heat in Death Valley and Las Vegas. He enjoyed stunning vistas in Arizona and New Mexico and stayed at the homes of friends and strangers alike, his posts showed.
The ride, one of his many philanthropic campaigns, including fundraising for clean water in Ethiopia, was his last.
Shortly after making the post, Wiegand was struck and killed by a pickup truck around 12:45 p.m. near the town of Prunedale, according to the California Highway Patrol.
A 25-year-old driver of a red Ford Ranger turned into Wiegand as he was riding his Lynskey road bike in the bicycle lane. Wiegand hit his head on the truck’s windshield and was declared dead at the scene, according to the CHP. An investigation is underway.
Wiegand, a trumpet player who performed with the Who, Wayne Newton and Mel Torme among others, is survived by his wife, Angela, son Dillon, daughter Sophie and father Roy Sr.
In the last few years, he had dedicated much of his time to philanthropic causes, most recently working with the water advocacy group DigDeep to raise money for the more than 700,000 American Indian and Alaskan Native people who lack access to clean, reliable water in the United States.
The news of Wiegand’s death devastated his family, friends, allies and supporters.
“It’s difficult to speak without tearing up,” said Wiegand’s longtime pastor and friend Kurt Christenson, 63. “If you look at the social media posts about him, he was a man of selflessness and humility that was only matched by his generosity and fearless spirit.”
Friends say Wiegand had astounding athletic endurance, which he tried to use to support the charitable causes that were close to his heart.
Around 2009, Christenson said he witnessed Wiegand’s “boundless energy” on a two-day cycling trip along Route 33 from Ojai to Mt. Pinos. Wiegand completed the 100-mile trek that went from sea level to just over 8,500 feet in elevation, only to return home the next evening for a musical gig.
“It was a mountain pass that went up and down so, in reality, it was something like 24,000 feet of climbing,” said Christenson, who was the senior pastor of Wiegand’s church, Salem Lutheran of Glendale, from 2008-18.
That same year, the then 45-year-old Wiegand entered the Los Angeles Marathon and finished 150th overall and 137th among men with a mark of 3 hours and 8.36 minutes. More than 14,000 runners finished the 26.2-mile race.
Burbank resident Joe Wilke, 56, admired Wiegand’s athletic feats, but he was also in awe of his friend’s humility.
Wilke and Wiegand were fathers who met through Boy Scouts around 2010, according to Wilke. Wiegand’s son was 5 years older than Wilke’s child, Christopher, but they were involved in mutual fundraisers and activities.
Four years later, then 12-year-old Christopher Wilke was diagnosed with a rare form of bile duct cancer. Christopher was Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles’ first-ever patient to be diagnosed with the disease and died two months later.
Shortly after Christopher’s death, Wiegand dedicated runs to Wilke’s son and others through the Santa Clarita-based Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children’s Cancer, which helps the families of children with cancer.
“He was moved by Christopher and Christopher’s story when it happened and wanted to do something locally,” Wilke said. “He looked toward the big picture and I shared his vision.”
In 2014, Wiegand ran solo 80 miles from Angel Stadium to Santa Clarita on the Fourth of July to raise $48,000 for the foundation in honor of Christopher.
Scott Colley, a Ventura County sheriff’s forensic scientist, barely knew Wiegand, but could hardly forget him.
Wiegand was completing an 80-mile run in 2015 when he stopped two blocks short of the finish line. There he spotted Colley’s son, Nick, who was in a stroller, having been diagnosed with a rare cancerous malignant rhabdoid tumor. Wiegand pushed the boy to the finish line, where they were met by cheering fans and members of the media.
“It was one of the coolest moments of my life,” Colley, 54, said. “I thought he would be so tired, but he instead was laid back and chatted with us afterward. I’ll never forget that kindness.”
In Burbank, Wiegand was a member of the devout anti-development group called Save Burbank Neighborhoods and created a YouTube program called “The Mike & Roy Show” to push back against developments that he felt ruined the character of his town.
“He didn’t believe in backing down, either out running or regarding his town,” said longtime friend Jim Casey, 63. “He believed in Burbank.”
DigDeep, the organization dedicated to expanding water access, established a memorial page for Wiegand, who raised nearly $37,000.
“Imagine pedaling 2,500 miles to help people you’ve never met,” said Cindy Howe, a native Diné based in Thoreau, N.M., who leads DigDeep’s Navajo Water Project. “That’s the kind of heart we lost.”
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