Harvard man killed in motorcycle crash was expecting baby with fiancée, recalled as Harley enthusiast

The fiancée of a Harvard man who was killed in a motorcycle crash in Woodstock last week said he was a “Harley enthusiast” and avid motorcyclist.

Lucinda Rodriguez said people from the motorcycle community, both locally and from out of state, have been reaching out to offer condolences, and some have shared personal stories of Nicholas Panosian, who was killed in the crash.

Panosian, 40, was remembered in his obituary for having a “great sense of humor” and as someone who “would give you the shirt off his back.”

Rodriguez said Panosian loved working on and building bikes. His uncle showed him how to ride when he was 12. The couple also bonded over motorcycles, sometimes riding even in subzero temperatures, dressed in several layers.

“We wanted to be on the bike,” Rodriguez said.

They rode around the northern suburbs to see where films such as “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Home Alone” were shot, along with the “Groundhog Day” sights in Woodstock. The couple fell in love with Woodstock and moved to town not even two weeks later, Rodriguez said. They later moved to Harvard.

Panosian and Rodriguez had six children between them; a seventh child, due in July, will have “Nick” in his or her name, most likely the first name, Rodriguez said. “He loved his children” and would do anything for them, she said.

The McHenry County Coroner’s Office on Monday identified Panosian as the person who died in the crash. The family also set up a GoFundMe to help with funeral and other end-of-life expenses for Panosian.

“We do not know why God decided to take you from us so soon. This all feels unreal. I’m still waiting for you to walk through the door. I don’t know how to comprehend all of this. I have some comfort in knowing you went the way you always said you would – riding your motorcycle,” Rodriguez wrote in the fundraiser. “On top of our children, we also have two grandchildren. He was over the moon to be a pop-pop. I wish you would have gotten a chance to meet them and our little one.”

The GoFundMe had raised more than half of its $8,000 goal as of Monday evening.

Samantha Borucki, who was Panosian’s best friend but who Rodriguez said he called his sister, said in part she will “always treasure and be grateful for the many years and experiences we had together. I will always be thankful to have been loved so much by you.”

The motorcycle crash occurred along Route 14 on April 23, and Panosian was pronounced dead at the scene.

A visitation for Panosian is scheduled from 4 to 8 p.m. May 12 at Saunders & McFarlin Funeral Home in Harvard, according to the obituary.