On Friday nights, after a long week of hard work and a cool breeze in the air, Bob deRochemont led his family of employees at National Vacuum to go on endless motorcycle rides throughout Alachua County.
With a twinkle in his eyes, deRochemont convinced everyone in the store to purchase motorcycles so all employees were included in a night of fun. It didn’t matter whether he had to loan his employees money to purchase them; he just wanted everyone to experience that same joy he felt while riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Although deRochemont wasn’t a familiar face to all Gainesville residents, the weekly messages he left behind on National Vaccum’s marquee were. DeRochemont passed away on March 31 from liver cancer. He was 86…