Motorcycles to escort hit-and-run veteran’s remains from Richland to Walla Walla
A fleet of motorcycles will lead an escort from the Uptown Shopping Center in Richland to Walla Walla on Friday, June 20, to honor a military veteran.
The convoy will be escorting the remains of Robert Ellis DeWayne Jr., who died at Kadlec Regional Medical Center on May 28 from injuries suffered in a hit-and-run crash.
The escort is through the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association (Chapter 11-6) and Walla Walla Search and Rescue. DeWayne, 71, was a member of both groups.
The Benton County and Walla Walla County sheriff’s offices also will be on hand, according to a news release from the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association.
The route will travel from the Uptown Shopping Center on George Washington Way to DeWayne’s Walla Walla home starting at 10:30 a.m.
Veteran’s remains escorted from Richland
On May 24, the Navy veteran was hit by an SUV while driving his motorcycle in Walla Walla. The driver fled, leaving DeWayne behind.
He was taken to a local hospital before being transported to Kadlec in the Tri-Cities, where he died four days later.
In honor of their fallen member, the CVMA and Walla Walla Search and Rescue are leading the escort of DeWayne’s remains and his family back to Walla Walla.
GoFundMe established for Walla Walla man
DeWayne’s family is accepting donations to help with expenses through GoFundMe. The family has raised $16,255 toward an $18,000 goal as of June 18.
The GoFundMe was started initially while DeWayne was still in the hospital and has been updated throughout his care process. According to the fundraiser, money raised will go toward medical expenses and supporting DeWayne’s wife.
“He didn’t deserve this. No one does,” one of DeWayne’s children wrote in the fundraiser details. “But we believe in community, in love, and in showing up when it counts.”
DeWayne is described as kind and down-to-earth, as the kind of guy who stops to help strangers on the side of the road.
“If a ray of sunshine could be a person... it’d be my dad,” DeWayne’s child wrote.
Walla Walla hit-and-run suspect
Tycie Harper, 26, of Walla Walla, was arrested the day after the crash is under investigation for felony hit-and-run, according to the Walla Walla Police Department.
She turned herself in to police on May 29 and was booked into the Walla Walla County Jail.
Jail records show she was released on June 2 after posting a bond of $25,000.
This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 12:52 PM.