Encyclopedia Dubuque
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WILWERT, Eldon "LD"
SWILWERT, Eldon "LD." (Dubuque, IA, Apr. 25, 1939--Guttenberg, IA, June 14, 2019) The son of Mathew and Alma (Theisen) Wilwert, married Dorothy Martelle on December 28, 1958. (1)
They opened their first Harley-Davidson dealership out of a small garage in Key West, Iowa; later moving to Bluff and Dodge Street. They then moved the dealership to 19th & Jackson and stayed there until April 1989, when they moved to Nightengale Lane. They retired in 1998 and spent their winters in Leesburg, Florida. (2)
LD enjoyed racing Harley-Davidson motorcycles on the flat track circuit, and racing Arctic Cat snowmobiles, receiving championships for both, many times. Eldon belonged to the Hawkeye Motorcycle Club, working the rider gate at the Dickeyville Hillclimb, the 660 Club, the Dubuque Men's Association and the Dubuque Men's Bowling Association. (3) He was responsible for establishing both local motorcycling and snowmobiling groups. (4)
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Source:
1. Obituary, Dubuque Today, Online: http://www.dubuquetoday.com/obituaries.cfm#Eldon%20C.%20Wilwert
2. Lyons, Erica, "A Ride to Remember: Motorcyclists Honor Local Pioneer," Telegraph Herald, June 16, 2019, p. 15A