ROY, Utah — A family in Roy is remembering a husband and father of six children who was killed in a motorcycle crash Monday.
Forty-year-old Ronnie Holkan, also known as 'RJ', was on his way to work when according to his family when he was hit at the intersection of 4800 South and 1900 West just after 7 a.m.
Police say Holkan was traveling southbound when he was hit by a car going north and turning left at the time. They say the driver stayed at the scene and cooperated, but Holkan later died from his injuries at the hospital.
"I got a call from the hospital and they told me, they told me that RJ had been in an accident," said Holkan's mother Kimberlie Weisner.
Weisner says that the motorcycle Holkan was riding was one he had recently purchased about a year ago.
"He just fell in love, that was it, it was over with. Done," she said. "I was the mom that was yelling at him all the time to wear his helmet."
To her surprise, her son took the advice.
"At the hospital, I told the doctor that I told him to wear his helmet and he said 'Well, for the first, he listened to you because he was wearing his helmet,'" she said.
Weisner says her son was a Clearfield High School graduate and worked as a roofer in construction, a job that he had just started a few weeks ago.
Family and friends said Holkan was a devoted father to all six of his children.
"A good father, [the] best father I know, beats me out of the water," said Josh Ramos, Holkan's brother-in-law.
"He has never skipped a beat with not one of them, like, no matter what he is going through in life, no matter where he is at in life, no matter what he is doing, that is one thing his kids can count on, that their dad is going to be there," added Tishia Long, Holkan's sister.
That bond was on full display Wednesday afternoon, with nearly two dozen relatives at the home Holkan shared with his mother. Relatives, loved ones and friends gathered, taking the time to remember Holkan and the legacy they say he leaves behind.
"His legacy is his kids, he just kept going for his kids. He never gave time for himself, he never gave money for himself, everything went to his kids," said Jose Gonzalez, Holkan's best friend of 31 years.
"Very kind, loving man," Phoenix said. "Yeah, everybody's superhero."
Phoenix said he enjoyed doing plenty of things with his dad, like playing basketball and riding on the motorcycle. But when asked to remember what he loved most about his father, his son had one answer.
"His kindness," Phoenix said.
Weisner says she was told that a woman was on scene at the intersection the whole time, holding Holkan's hand after the accident. She hopes that woman knows how grateful she is that they were there for her son at that moment.
A GoFundMe page to help the family arrange Holkan's funeral has been set up in his name.
