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Community remembers beloved rollerblader
The Temple Terrace community is mourning the loss of a beloved rollerblader who was hit and killed by an SUV last weekend. Jennifer Kveglis reports.
TEMPLE TERRACE, Fla. - A beloved rollerblader is being mourned in the Temple Terrace community.
Wayne Liszewski was known as "Rollerblade Wayne". The morning of Sunday, January 7, he was hit by an SUV near E. Busch Blvd and N 50th St.
His loved ones say he was resilient, surviving cancer multiple times, serving in the Army, and overcoming addiction.
Liszewski turned to health and wellness as his vice.
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"He had brain surgery a few months ago. He was back rollerblading. That's what he loved. He would rollerblade into Publix, into wherever," said General Manager of Dunkin' on E. Busch Blvd, Denise Hernandez.
Pictured: Wayne Liszewski
Hernandez and her employees said Liszewski was like family, stopping into the store five times a day.
"He would rollerblade 20 miles...20 miles a day," she said, "My assistant manager, every time he would roll in, she would say, 'Hey loser' and he would go, 'Hey weirdo'."
On Jan. 7, he was on his way to Dunkin' for the second time when he was hit by a vehicle.
Wayne Liszewski died after being hit by an SUV.
"One of our customers came in and said, 'Hey, the rollerblade guy, he got hit by a car. They're doing CPR.' And we were like, 'Wayne? He just left here."
Hernandez rushed over to the scene just a few blocks away.
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"I pulled over and asked the officer, 'Was it a guy on rollerblades?" she said. "Another cop came out, and I said, 'Did he make it?' and they looked at each other and looked at me and I knew."
Messages from the Temple Terrace community honor A card lies next to a candle in memory of Wayne Liszewski.
Since that day, customers and employees set up a memorial at the corner table Liszewski would sit at with flowers, cards, his favorite chocolate, his Dunkin' order, and last receipt.
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"It's rough because we're still expecting him to come rolling in the store. A lot of the employees and even customers are still looking at that corner for him," she said.
Liszewski also left an impact on employees and customers at the Pegasus Lounge on N Florida Ave. Owner Julie Bible had known him since 2002.
Wayne Liszewski's usual coffee sits next to a card at a table honoring the beloved rollerblader.
"Very quickly we became friends outside of Pegasus. We went out to eat a lot. He'd come over to the house," she stated. "I remember whenever we would drive around in the car, he would always say, 'Julie I don't want to die in a car.' He wasn't in a car, but he got hit by a car."
Bible said he would spend hundreds of dollars at the jukebox inside.
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"His love was music. He knew the lyrics to every song. He knew the artists to every song," she said.
A card and a rollerskate sit on a table in honor of Wayne Liszewski.
She wants him to be remembered for his heart.
"Remember what he was like, what his soul was like. He would always remember people's birthdays and always get them cards and sign them," she said.
The Pegasus Lounge is planning a celebration of life for Liszewski in the coming weeks.
TPD says the crash is still under investigation. Police say the driver who hit Liszewski is not facing charges at this time.