William Bibbiani, 72, of Pasadena, California, formerly of Chester, died in the comfort of his Pasadena home on May 4. He was the husband of Janet Bibbiani. Bib was born in Chester on Jan 31, 1941, son of the Sally Bibbiani and the late Geno Bibbiani. A motorcycle enthusiast of Norton bikes, Bib was the president, fearless leader, and benign dictator of the Southern California Norton Owners Club. By his sheer force of will, the club’s annual Hansen Dam ride grew into maybe the largest single-day gathering of classic bikes in the world – last November the count approached 1,000 riders. Bib rebuilt many of the British bikes himself.

Bib served for four years in the U.S. Marine Corps and had worked for the Pasadena Unified School District until he retired. He also ran for a position on the School Board, and to his own surprise, he won the election, serving a successful term.

Besides his wife and mother, he is survived by two sons, William Bibbiani and Andrew Bibbiani and his wife Mayumi; two granddaughters, Katherine and Elizabeth; and his beloved dog Jack. He is also survived by his brother Stephen and wife Lisa from Connecticut and his sister Susan Hoag of Massachusetts.

A celebration of his life will be held on June 8 at the Deep River Congregational Church at 11 a.m.  Donations may be made to the Chester Historical Society, 9 W. Main St., Chester, CT 06412.