'I'm so proud of him': Memorial motorcycle ride to honor local rider after fatal crash

FAIRFIELD TOWNSHIP, Ohio (WKRC) - Fairfield Township and the Hamilton communities are coming together for one last ride to honor 29-year-old Brent Neal, who died last month after a crash while riding his motorcycle. A memorial motorcycle ride and benefit will take place on Saturday in Neal’s memory. Neal was airlifted to the hospital last month after his motorcycle and a car collided. He died almost a week later. His mother, Alicia Neal, said the family has been overwhelmed by messages from people whose lives Neal touched, including some she had never met. “I've had friends of his reach out to me. I still don't know their names. It's just, you know, a blank text, like. 'I know you don't know me,' and they're just telling me stories,” said Alicia Neal. Brent Neal's family said he grew up with all sisters and no father figure. Alicia Neal said she always believed he searched for a father figure and mentor. Brent Neal's oldest sister, Briann Lambert, said he found that in a different way than some people do. "He found it in his community that he built. He didn't find it in one person. He found in many people," said Lambert. "He did build a family with his friends. There were probably a dozen or more of them that just—a lot of them didn't have their fathers in their lives. I think they fathered each other. When one was acting up, the other ones got on them and did just like a father would," said Alicia Neal. Alicia Neal said those friends have been there for the family every day since Brent Neal's death. “Little did we know, he was building an army for us, because when we went through this, you wouldn't have believed it. The people that showed up for us,” said Alicia Neal. Lambert said she and her brother grew closer over the past few years. She said he struggled with depression but had spent a lot of time working on himself. She said he was finding his place in the world. "He started a business. He went back to school. He was traveling. He was just living life. He was finding his peace, finally," said Lambert. "Usually, it's the younger sibling that looks up to the older sibling, but I look up to my brother." Even after his death, Brent Neal is continuing to make a difference through organ donation. Alicia said his organs have helped at least eight people so far, which gives her some comfort. His heart and a kidney went to the same person, and Alicia said that person was in kidney failure, so Brent Neal saved at least one life. “He said, 'I feel, like, that's one last thing I can do for someone,'" said Alicia Neal. "It gives me so much pride. I'm so proud of him." “He moved through the world with love," said Lambert. The people who have received Brent Neal's organs are now able to contact Alicia, and she said she hopes they do. "Please reach out. We want to meet you," said Alicia Neal. "We would be honored to meet you." Brent Neal was also finding his faith again. He started reading from a devotion book every day. Alicia said she now posts devotions daily on social media to honor him. She has his book, and when she got it, he'd bookmarked her birthday in it. She said he would read a devotion on family night, but at the hospital, they read to him. "It was so healing because as a family, we stood; we actually read it to him. He didn't read it us in a group. We stood and read it to him at his bedside, and every day it spoke to that day," said Alicia Neal. The memorial motorcycle ride will start at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday. The meeting place will be Legends Bar & Grill in Hamilton. The proceeds will go toward buying a headstone to place where Brent Neal was laid to rest.