Schaumburg man killed in cycle crash remembered as free spirit

Family members describe Brandon "Bud" Heller of Schaumburg as a free spirit, whose love of motorcycles was an outgrowth of his interest in mechanics and cars, but reflected his longing for freedom.

Mr. Heller was the 31-year-old driver involved in a motorcycle accident Sunday evening in Elk Grove Village that took his life and his girlfriend's, Shannon Buyle, 32, also of Schaumburg.

"Motorcycles gave him an extra sense of freedom," says his sister, Bobbi Fitzgerald of Mount Prospect. "There were no boundaries."

Mr. Heller and Ms. Buyle were returning from an outdoor pig roast and motorcycle rally with other bikers when the accident occurred. They were traveling westbound on Higgins Road on Heller's Harley-Davidson, police reports indicate.

Condolences have poured in from the biker community to Mr. Heller's family in Mount Prospect. His friends were able to secure a motorcycle hearse for his funeral services on Friday and they are planning to accompany his body with a motorcade.

Family members expect more than 75 bikes to participate and they have reached out to local police motorcycle units to help with traffic control.

Mr. Heller grew up in Mount Prospect. As a child and teen at Prospect High School, he gravitated toward shop classes, family members say, and mechanics.

He had grown up working in his dad's auto parts business in Schaumburg, called Doc's Body Shop, and his interest grew from there, Fitzgerald says.

"Ever since he was a little boy, he loved to take stuff apart and put it back together," Fitzgerald says.

Mr. Heller was a member of the class of 1997 at Prospect High School and he eventually became a certified mechanic. Most recently, he worked as a mechanic for Advantage Transmission in Streamwood.

Family members say Mr. Heller met Ms. Buyle, a Des Plaines native, approximately 10 years ago when they worked near one another. At the time of the accident, Buyle worked as a parts manager for Suzuki.

Her family declined to comment for this story.

"They worked across the street from each other," Fitzgerald says. "They had a common interest in motorcycles."

Prayers for Mr. Heller will begin at 9:15 a.m. Friday at Lauterburg & Oehler Funeral Home, 2000 E. Northwest Highway in Arlington Heights, before the motorcade escorts the body to a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at St. James Catholic Church, 831 N. Arlington Heights Road in Arlington Heights.

Visitation begins at 3 p.m. Sunday for Ms. Buyle and lasts until a 7 p.m. funeral service at G. L. Hills Funeral Home, 745 Graceland Ave. in Des Plaines.

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