The family of a man who died in a bike accident earlier this year gathered this weekend in northeast Rochester to honor his life.
The event was less a mournful remembrance and more a celebration filled with laughter, bubbles, and memories.
Jerome Blocker, 62, of Rochester, was killed while riding his bike after a crash at Norton and North streets on Feb. 21, 2025. His family, along with members of the local biking community, came together Saturday to celebrate his life and install a "ghost bike" — a bicycle painted entirely white — near the site of the crash.
The bike stands as a solemn reminder for motorists to be cautious and to watch out for cyclists.
Blocker’s daughter, Rickea Blocker, said her father could make anyone laugh.
“My dad was a prankster, a jokester, a silly person all around, but he was very loved by everybody,” she said. “Nothing could steal his joy, truly, and he would tell you that. He said, 'I'm not going to let that get me down.'”
As family members laughed, blew bubbles, and gathered for photos around the bike, Rickea said her father would have loved the ghost bike.
"I think this is a great reminder," she said. "He would want to be known and remembered by this, like when you're just driving by, thoughts of him just pop up."
Jesse Peers, the cycling manager for Reconnect Rochester, a local advocacy group for bikeability and street safety, said the ghost bike serves not just as a memorial but also as a call to action.
“We need traffic calming. We need narrower traffic lanes to force motorists just to behave better," Peers said. "I think Norton and Clifford and Bay are really scary streets to bicycle on. And there are segments of the entire crescent of Rochester that haven't received bike infrastructure that the more affluent parts of the city have gotten, and it results in real danger to the people getting around."
For Rickea, the memorial is not just a tribute to her dad, it’s a warning.
“This is tragic. It shouldn't have happened,” she said. “Just be mindful when behind the wheel, be responsible.”
The ghost bike is installed at 1023 Norton St. in honor of Jerome Blocker’s life and legacy and as a reminder to all drivers to share the road safely.
