A Devonshire family and Bermuda?s motocross community are today coming to terms with the death of 29-year-old Aaron Pace who was killed in a single vehicle accident on South Road Devonshire on Friday.

Mr. Pace ? an accomplished and respected motocross rider ? was remembered as a ?genuine fun loving person who loved bikes since the day he was born?.

His sister, Cindy Pace, said her brother adored his family and friends and had competed on the local motocross circuit for more than 20 years. ?My brother was a natural on a bike. He could ride anything and ride it well. He had a lot of admirers from motocross and often competed on the international stage. He was asked to leave Bermuda to go overseas and live so that he could ride professionally, but he declined the offer because he did not want to leave his mom and dad.?

Ms Pace said the unexpected death of her brother has devastated their family. ?It was so sudden. One moment he was here and then he was gone. I think it is the shock of it. He was off from work and had just left his dad?s house and was going home, however he never made it.

?Everyone is grieving in their own way. The hardest part is making the funeral arrangements. ?We would prefer to leave him right where he is and know that if we wanted to see him, we could always go and look at him and touch him and then put him away, and if we wanted to see him the next day we could do the same thing.

?We dread the day of the funeral. We don?t want to let him go. This is not real,? she said.

The death of the motocross ace is particularly difficult for his fianc?, Kara Estravit, who tearfully recalled that Aaron proposed to her on Christmas day, just four days before he tragically died.

She said: ?We?ve been engaged since Christmas last year. I try not to think too much about it.

?I ask myself, ?gosh, how can you put a ring on somebody?s finger and then die?? We were never married officially, but we will always be married.?

Ms Estravit said her fondest memory of her fianc? would always be the day their 20-month-old son Aaron J. was born.

?When our son was born Aaron was absolutely ecstatic. I have never seen him that happy. He had a smile on his face for weeks.

?He couldn?t stop touching and holding our son. I?m just glad our son is not old enough to feel the pain that we feel,? she added.

A memorial service was held for Mr. Pace prior to the start of motocross racing at Southside yesterday and Ms Estravit said his jersey number 42 has been officially retired. ?His number will never be used in the 125 cc expert class again.

?I met Aaron at the motocross track and for the last three and a half years I have watched him ride and have attended to his wounds if he got hurt.

?It was hard for me to go to the track today and realize he wasn?t there. Motocross will never be the same for me or his family again.?

Mr. Pace died from serious head injuries he sustained in a single vehicle accident on South Road near the junction with Devon Heights Road on Friday morning.

Police say he lost control of the motorcycle he was riding and collided with a wall. His death marked the 13 fatality on Bermuda?s roads last year.

Police are appealing for witnesses to the accident and are particularly interested in speaking with a man who stopped to offer assistance shortly after the collision occurred.

He is described as a white man, between 35 and 40 years old, with short hair and a square face.

This man or any other person with information should contact P.c. Delroy Dyer or P.c. Shannon Lawrence at the Traffic Enforcement Unit on 299-4265, 299-4302 or 295-0011.

Funeral arrangements for Mr. Pace are being planned for Saturday.

Besides his sister, fianc? and son, Mr. Pace is survived by his mother, Mary Pace, father David Vickers, brother Robert and the Motocross community.