SHEBOYGAN, Wisc — Mary Katarincic still struggles to talk about her brother's passing four years later.
Richard Brueckner was six years older than Katarincic. She said he always had a soft spot for her.
“He was a good man. He did a lot of good things,” she said, laying out her favorite photos of him.
Brueckner died from COVID in May of 2020, leaving behind a huge standing in the tech industry as well as his autistic son, Logan — his clone, he called him.
Watch: Custom bike donated by Sheboygan woman in memory of her brother
"He was very modest," Katarincic remarked. "He did very well for himself, but we never knew that.”
Her brother was a computer whiz — known by many high-profile colleagues as "The guy in the red hat." Brueckner kept that part of his life a secret from his family.
"It was weird because I got all these phone calls from all over the world sending me their condolences. The president of Dell called me," Katarincic said. "I had no idea Rich was that successful."
In an effort to show off his passion for technology, Breukner had a custom motorcycle built in 2006.
It goes by the name "Java Chopper" in honor of Javascript, the coding language.
When Breukner passed, his family went on a wild goose chase in Portland, Oregon to locate the bike. They cold-called every place they could think of that might have been storing it.
After locating Java, Logan was the one to give the green light to use the chopper for charity.
“He got all the best parts of my brother,” Katarincic said through tears.
The money raised in the bike raffle will go to the Sheboygan United Auto Workers in the form of scholarships, and to Family Connections Inc. – a local nonprofit Katarincic works for.
The group supports kids with development and learning resources.
One Connections program, Rainbow Kids, helps children who have lost a parent or guardian.
"So that's something that Logan is familiar with and he knew the money would go to a good cause.”
Katarincic noted her brother was many things other than a tech guru. He also enjoyed writing short stories.
He recited one titled "Seven Meals from Chaos" at a small Portland bar in 2011. In it, he references his own death.
I have to figure out what I'm going to say when I go to meet God. And then I know I'm so grateful.
That line comforts Katarincic.
"I'm just so glad we can do this and I can do something good," she said. "It is a beautiful, beautiful bike but it’s unique. It’s one-of-a-kind — kind of like Rich.”
Bike raffle tickets run for $35 for one or $50 for two. Katarincic will draw the winner on Sept. 27.
Where to buy:
- Family Connections (2508 S 8th St) | Monday-Thursday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- Emil Mazey Hall (5425 Superior Ave) | Monday-Thursday, 6:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. or Friday, 6:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
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