By By SPIROS GALLOS / Niles Daily Star
NILES - The utility pole in front of Suzi Ditsch's house has become a shrine of sorts to the young man who died after striking it early Saturday morning.
Friends and family of Jesse Lee Kelems IV, 26, who died after his motorcycle struck the pole in Niles Township, have been leaving flowers, stuffed animals, and notes in memory of Kelems.
A note from Kelem's grandparents expressing their love for their grandson and a picture, as well as a Dale Earnhardt Jr. baseball cap with a message scribbled on it in memory of Kelems, are just some of the items around the pole.
Ditsch said people began leaving flowers at the pole beginning around noon on Saturday, hours after Kelems lost control of his motorcycle while traveling westbound on Bell Road.
Ditsch, whose daughter used to roller skate with Kelems when they were children, knew the family, which lives down the street, a little bit.
The visitors to pole have come at a constant pace, Ditsch estimated about 100 people have stopped by to pay their respects to Kelems.
Friends and family have also left flowers about 10 feet from the utility pole on the spot where Kelems landed after being thrown from his motorcycle.
James Westcott's wife, Toni, heard the accident happen and rushed out to try and help Kelems after his accident.
Westcott, who lives next door to Ditsch, knew the situation didn't look good when he came out of his house to see what was happening Saturday morning.
Ditsch and Westcott both realized something was wrong Saturday morning when they heard the transformer across the street blow and their power went out.
The intersection in front of Ditsch's house, where Bell Road joins with 17th Street, has always been a problem area according to Ditsch and Westcott.
In the winter, cars often slide off the road and end up in the front yards of the two neighbors. Westcott said that accidents a the intersection are a common occurrence.
Ditsch moved her mailbox, which stood in front of the utility pole, 18 years ago after "losing a few to many of them" when vehicles would run them over, she said.
In all the years that the neighbors have lived at the intersection, 23 for Ditsch and 11 for Westcott, this is the first fatal accident either had seen there.
Ditsch lost a daughter in a car accident 16 years ago, she would be 27-years-old now, just a year older than Kelems.
In order to make mourners more comfortable, Ditsch placed a bench near the utility pole for any visitors to sit on.