Family recalls son's quiet humor, love for motorcycles.

From the time Daniel Coulson was a kid, he had always wanted to ride motorcycles.

But too young to race the real thing, he had to settle for remote-controlled cars as a substitute.

"He'd race them as fast as he could," said his father, Wayne Coulson of York City. "He'd burn them out."

So when Daniel Coulson was old enough for a real motorcycle, he got a Suzuki that he loved so much he named it Sheila, and would go riding with his older brother, Chris Coulson.

But Daniel Coulson's love affair with motorcycles ended tragically when he crashed his bike into a tractor-trailer Friday morning in Manchester Township while on his way to work.

Northern York County Regional Police said the crash occurred at 7:55 a.m. in the 3400 block of Board Road as a tractor-trailer was turning south onto Board Road from a business along the road. Police said witnesses saw Coulson heading northbound on the road at a high rate of speed when he hit the rig near its rear wheels and was thrown from the motorcycle. The motorcycle burst into flames, and Coulson died of multiple traumatic injuries. He was 29.

After learning about his brother's death, Chris Coulson, who turned 33 last week, canceled a birthday party the family was going to have for him Saturday.

Time to remember: Instead of celebrating the birthday, Daniel Coulson's family is now spending time together to mourn and remember their loved one who was quiet, and a good listener, but could always make them laugh.

"Hedidn't speak much, but when he did he was heard, and we all got a chuckle out of it," Chris Coulson said.

"No matter how much I was mad at him, he could
always turn around and make me laugh," said Daniel Coulson's mother, Barb Henry, as the family sat in her Manchester Township garage Monday watching home videos of her late son.

Wayne Coulson said Daniel Coulson was an eighth of a mile from his job at Military and Commercial Fasteners Corp. when he crashed.

Daniel Coulson had been born in York and attended the York County School of Technology before getting his GED.

Chris Coulson said his brother also played a lot of online video games and had made friends from all over the country through the games. Some of the fellow gamers plan to attend Daniel Coulson's funeral Wednesday, even though they've never met him in person, Barb Henry said.

Daniel Coulson also is survived by his stepfather, Michael Henry, stepsisters Kimberly and Rebecca Henry, all of York, aunt Vicki Micks of Indianapolis, and two uncles, Mike Williams of York Haven and Grant Coulson of Florida.

His funeral will be at 4 p.m. Wednesday at the John H. Danner Funeral Home at 822 E. Market St., York. A viewing will be held from 2:30 to 4 p.m. prior to the funeral service.

-- Reach Brock Parker at 505-5434 or bparker@yorkdispatch.com.