GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Friends and family are remembering a beloved former high school band teacher who was hit and killed while bicycling south of Grand Rapids.
Around 8 a.m. Saturday, 76-year-old Clarence Doornbos and his friend 69-year-old Claire Elgersma were riding on Hanna Lake Avenue just south of 92nd Street in Gaines Township when they were hit by an SUV. Elgersma sustained serious injuries. Doornbos later died at the hospital. It’s not yet known if the 83-year-old driver who hit them will face any charges.
Jean Scott, a close family friend of Doornbos, who went by Clare, said she was at the hospital as the family got the devastating news that he would not survive.
“I called (Doornbos’ wife) just to reassure myself that it wasn’t them, and she answered the phone and I said, ‘Oh good, it’s not you.’ She’s, ‘Well, I’m here at the hospital with Clare. He’s been hit.’ And I said, ‘It is you.’ I said, ‘Do you want me to come?’ And she said yes,” Scott told 24 Hour News 8 on Sunday. “The neurologist came in and gave us the news that there really was no hope, that the damage in his brain was not fixable.”
Scott said the shock of losing Doornbos brought a back a flood of emotion, reminding her of the death of her husband two years ago. Her late husband and Doornbos became good friends years ago, as both were Calvin College graduates and taught music.
Doornbos retired from teaching band at Grand Rapids Christian High School in 2001.
Full story: WOOD TV