Biker community
mourns loss

The biker community continues to heal after one of the key behind-the-scenes figures in the area's motorcycle rallies was shot to death in Florida over the weekend.

Sandra Leone, 55, special events coordinator for Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson, was killed Sunday in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Police said Leone's stepfather shot her and her mother, also his wife, before committing suicide in a nursing home.

Leone has been cremated and a memorial will be held at War Memorial Gardens in Ormond Beach, Fla. on Saturday afternoon, said Mike Shank with Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson. Plans are in the works for a local memorial but a date hasn't been set.

Leone, hired at Myrtle Beach Harley-Davidson in 2000, played a pivotal role in organizing the spring and fall Harley rallies. Her main focus was coordinating the sales and placement of vendors.

Shank called her the best vending coordinator in the country.

"She was one of the most personable and friendly people you could meet," said Shank, who worked closely with Leone in the planning of the rallies. "Every time she met somebody, she had to give them a hug. The way that she treated people, made her special to everybody."

Altamonte Springs police said 70-year-old William Wallace was upset that some family members wanted to move his wife, 78-year-old Barbara Wallace, to a nursing home in Tennessee. He left a tape-recorded message before shooting Barbara Wallace, Leone and himself.

"I was on vacation and that was the first call I got when I came back," Shank said. "That's not something you want to deal with.

"It's obviously a shock to all of us. It's a tremendous loss for her family, Myrtle Beach Harley and for everybody in the biker community. She touched so many people's lives. The outpouring of emotion from people has been overwhelming.

"We've had a lot of people calling. Her main responsibility was dealing with vendors. We've had calls from all over the country."

- Read more in Friday's edition of The Sun News