DELPHOS — It may be a little difficult to visualize a sweet, gray-haired grandmother and a motorcycle mama as one and the same person, but that’s exactly what you will find in Delphos resident Doris Mullenhour.
Mullenhour, who will be 80 years old Monday, is not only proud of her large family, but is still fascinated with motorcycles, an enthusiasm she shared with her late husband, Woodrow “Woody” Mullenhour.
She and Woody married on her birthday, March 31, 1976, and brought together a large family, his three children from a prior marriage and five from her previous marriage.
Her husband, who had ridden motorcycles for 55 years, soon had her riding in the sidecar as his No. 1 fan.
“When he retired, we went out riding every weekend. There were times our boots filled up with water when we got caught in the rain,” she laughed.
She pointed out that while her husband always wore a helmet for safety, he didn’t think the law should force a rider to wear one.
The couple belonged to the Continental Motorcycle Club and the soon-to-be 80 year old was awarded the Hi Point plaque in 1984 for NWA MA Passenger. She had her own Honda 400, which is a smaller, lighter bike, and her daughter, Linda Johnson, rode it for awhile.
“Sure, we would have loved to ride Harleys, but when you’re retired, you can’t afford one,” she said.
When the Mullenhours went on local trips, Woody always had Doris back in town by Saturday night.
“He knew I loved to play bingo,” she said.
But some of the longer trips were memorable too. A trip to Texas and a road trip to Sturgis, South Dakota, were high points for her. Sturgis is a small town that has hosted a motorcycle rally for 67 years, drawing crowds of 500,000 fans with their bikes.
Although it’s been nine years since she’s been for a ride, she’s looking forward to a ride promised her by a Lima Harley-Davidson business to celebrate her 80th birthday.
Maybe she won’t be there this year in person for this year’s rally in Sturgis, but she’ll certainly be there in spirit.