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A wake will be held for Lopez on Wednesday, April 30, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at August F. Schmidt Memorial Funeral Home in Elizabeth, according to his obituary. His memorial service will begin the following morning, Thursday, May 1 at 9 a.m., at the same location.
Michael will then take his final ride to Rosedale Cemetery in Linden, escorted by fellow bikers with PISC Motards Motorcycle Club.
Lopez was killed around 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 27, when his motorcycle collided with a Jeep Cherokee near Skyline Drive and Greenwood Lake Drive in Ringwood, according to Passaic County Prosecutor Camelia M. Valdes and Ringwood Police Chief Peter McGinty. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The occupants of the SUV were not seriously injured. The crash remains under investigation.
Originally from Elizabeth, Lopez was remembered by loved ones as a car and motorcycle enthusiast with a “giving soul” and had been living in Cranford. His death has left a hole in the lives of all who knew him, especially his mother Marta, his father Emmy, and his sisters Sasha and Liz, loved ones said.
A GoFundMe launched by Eliane Pascoal had raised more than $14,000 as of press time to help support the family during this devastating time.
“Michael was taken from us far too soon, in the blink of an eye,” Pascoal wrote. “As Marta’s only son, Michael was more than just her child — he was her protector and her anchor.”
From a young age, Michael stepped up to support his family. When Marta was undergoing cancer treatment, he offered her strength, stability, and love — all while working to help support the household financially, the campaign reads.
“He never hesitated to give what he had, even if it meant going without himself,” the GoFundMe says. “If you needed him, he’d give you the shirt off his back… or as many who knew him would say, the tire off his car.”
Michael was described as “God-loving, full of humility and kindness,” and someone whose spirit lives on in the lives he touched.
Click here to donate to the campaign and here for Michael's complete obituary.
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