Life of love: Southwest Florida remembers Fort Myers man killed in motorcycle crash

COLLIER COUNTY, Fla. (WINK) - When people talk about Eduardo Falcone, they keep coming back to one word; love. 

That love showed up in different ways. For his son, Ryan, it meant going to a baseball game together. For his boss, Brendan, it was an afternoon chat over a cup of espresso. 

“He just embodied [love],” Ryan Falcone said. "I like to define love as the unconditional self-sacrificial commitment to the well-being of another person, and that was the encapsulation of his life.”

On Saturday, people remembered 59-year-old Eduardo Falcone as a father, husband, and friend. The Tennessee Highway Patrol said Falcone died in a motorcycle crash on May 19 in Blount County. Falcone and his friends were riding on the legendary Tail of the Dragon Road, famous for it’s 318 curves in just 11 miles. 

Troopers said Falcone failed to maintain his lane and went off the road into an embankment before coming to a final rest partially on the northbound travel lane. 

On Saturday, family and friends honored Falcone at the Hodges Funeral Home in Collier County. Motorcycles lined the entrance as Falcone’s riding club, the San Churrasco Motorcycle and Fellowship Group, showed up to pay their respects. Inside, a table was filled with memories from Falcone’s life, including family photos, Chicago sports memorabilia, and a stuffed animal.

Family members said Falcone embraced his Argentinian and Italian heritage, building a successful life in Southwest Florida as a restauranter, real estate broker, and businessman. Before his death, Falcone worked at Germain Lincoln of Naples. A long line of co-workers showed up to pay their respects, decked out in black and blue. 

"He was a guy that you were a lot more likely to get a hug from him than a handshake,” said Brendan Callahan, general manager of the dealership. “He was a big part of our culture, you know?”

It’s something that Ryan Falcone knows well. Ryan said his father had a ‘labrador’ personality, always happy to make new friends. 

“He had a way of making friends into families,” Ryan said. "And he's amazing guy to work with, amazing guy to grow up around.”

He remembered how Eduardo turned a losing season into a championship year. Ryan’s sixth-grade soccer team hadn’t won a game all season. Eduardo, an assistant coach, took the helm for a game. He promised the team ’surf and turf’ dinner if they won.

"We won that game two nil, and it was like winning the Super Bowl for little sixth graders,” Ryan said. "And so that's one of my top memories. He made good on his promise, and that was really him. He was able to take anything and make it special, even an 0-8 season.” 

Ryan said the memorial service provided closure, as dozens of people showed up to pay their respects. Many people said Falcone’s death came as a shock. Several were too emotional to speak on camera. 

But nearly everyone kept coming back to the same word; love. 

"I get to carry the baton forward,” Ryan said. “And hope that I can be a fraction of the man he was to all these people."