'Bicycle Man's' widow surprised with new set of wheels

The widow of Fayetteville's "The Bicycle Man," who surprised thousands of children with refurbished bikes, received a surprise herself on Tuesday.

Posted 12:40 a.m. May 14, 2014 — Updated 12:40 a.m. May 14, 2014

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. — The widow of Fayetteville's "The Bicycle Man," who surprised thousands of children with refurbished bikes, received a surprise herself on Tuesday.

Bryan Honda of Fayetteville presented Ann Mathis with an SUV so she can carry on with the work of her late husband, Moses Mathis, who, for 22 years, collected used bicycles and fixed them up for children during the holidays.

The SUV features the face of Moses Mathis, fondly referred to as The Bicycle Man, on its side.

"I wish Moses were here to see this," Ann Mathis told representatives of Bryan Honda Tuesday. "I thank you all. He worked so hard for this community and to have something like this for his organization is awesome."

The Mathises' organization, Bicycle Man Community Outreach Projects, is holding an open-house fundraiser to raise enough money to keep the organization running. It's planned for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on May 31. Further information is available by calling 910-424-3083 or 910-822-2034

Moses Mathis, who died in July at the age of 76, received national attention for his charity.

In 2006, President George W. Bush honored him with the President's Call to Service Award for those who have given at least 4,000 hours of lifetime service.

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