Vale Jeremy Bowdler - updated with funeral details

Jeremy Bowdler, the editor of Two Wheels magazine, has tragically passed way at the age of 52, leaving behind a wife and two young daughters.

Jeremy was a remarkable bloke, in more ways than one. Of course, he was a great scribe – not just on motorcycles, as he also dabbled in sports like cricket – but he was someone who concerned himself with all people, listened, and generally made them feel good about themselves. And it helped that his sphere of knowledge knew no boundaries, which I found out for myself when we ventured to Croatia together last year for the Suzuki DL650 V-Strom launch. But he wasn’t being a smartarse: just a widely read and erudite man who was keen to spread the ‘good’ word.

And when it came to his latest passion, guitars, his enthusiasm knew no boundaries. But that isn’t to say motorcycles were being left behind: they were his bread and butter, much like his family was his heart and soul. He adored his three girls, and spoke about them in such glowing terms that it was just about an impossibility not to take a step back and realise how important family really is.

Jeremy wasn’t one for grand theatrics or self-promotion: it was anathema to his make-up. But he was always there, steering the Two Wheels ship over three decades while a slew of staffers came and went. In motorcycle publishing, that’s remarkable endurance.

And even if times were tough, Jeremy wouldn’t wallow in self-pity or look for excuses: in a sense he was indestructible, and that would emerge again last week as he outran death for four days after a massive cardiac arrest.

Two senior figures gone in successive years: Ken Wootton, the former editor of Australian Motorcycle News, in 2011, and now Bowdler. And both in their 50s, meeting their maker way too early.

RIP Jeremy.

A funeral service for Jeremy will be held at the Magnolia Chapel in Macquarie Park Crematorium, corner Delhi and Plassey Roads, North Ryde, Monday, March 26, 2012, commencing at 1.00pm.