| Subject: Former U.S. Senator Mike Enzi dies from injuries suffered in bicycle accident |
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he was 77
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Date Posted: Thu. 07/29/21 11:15:54pm
Former U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi has died from injuries he suffered Friday night in a serious bicycle accident in Gillette.
Enzi, 77, was riding his bike around 8:30 p.m. near his home in Gillette when the accident happened, said Gillette attorney and family friend John Daly.
Someone found Enzi and called 911, Daly said. He had broken his neck and some ribs, and was taken to the hospital and stabilized before being flown to UCHealth Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colorado, via air ambulance, according to a Facebook post by his three children.
Late Monday night, the former senator’s official Twitter feed posted this message: “Former Wyoming U.S. Senator Mike Enzi passed away peacefully today surrounded by his family.”
His son, Brad, retweeted the post, adding, “Thanks to all who prayed and sent good thoughts for my dad. Always my GOAT and hero!”
At 8:18 p.m. Friday, the Gillette Police Department received an Apple Watch distress call that someone had taken a hard fall on Morningside Drive and was not responding. Before officers arrived, someone called in to report a man lying in the roadway beside a bike, said Police Lt. Brent Wasson.
The Gillette Police Department does not release names involved in medical incidents, but Wasson said that officers found a 77-year-old man unresponsive at the scene, and he was taken to the hospital. The family’s Facebook posting said Enzi never regained consciousness after being taken to the Colorado hospital.
There was no indication that anyone else was near or involved in the accident, Wasson said.
Enzi, a former mayor of Gillette and state legislator, served as a U.S. senator for Wyoming for 24 years, retiring at the end of his fourth term in January 2021.
He was born in Washington state and grew up in Thermopolis. After attending school at George Washington University, where he received a degree in accounting, he earned a master’s degree in marketing from the University of Denver in Colorado.
He moved to Gillette in 1969 and expanded his father’s shoe sales business, NZ Shoes.
Officials across Wyoming mourned Enzi’s passing on Tuesday, remembering him as a tireless worker on behalf of Wyoming’s interests in both Congress and the Wyoming Legislature.
U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., who served with Enzi for nine years while she was a U.S. representative and before replacing him as senator, said in an email statement: “Today, Wyoming mourns the loss of a giant, Mike Enzi. Mike spent his life working to make Wyoming a better place while creating opportunities for our people.
“Be it as mayor of Gillette or as a U.S. senator and senior statesman, Wyoming has had no greater champion than Mike Enzi. He always put Wyoming first, and worked harder than anyone to serve his constituents.
“He was a soft-spoken leader, but the legislative wins he delivered loudly attest to the impact of his service. At a time of increasing political incivility, Mike Enzi managed to tactfully navigate the upper chamber, producing results that will be felt for generations to come.
“His retirement left a hole in the Senate, and his passing leaves a hole in our state and in our hearts.
“To me personally, he was more than just our senior senator. He was my friend and mentor, and I am heartbroken at his passing. Mike Enzi was a man of God and I take solace knowing that he is at peace. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Diana, children Amy, Emily and Brad, and his four grandchildren at this difficult time.”
Wyoming Secretary of State Ed Buchanan offered words of condolence in his own email statement.
“I met Senator Enzi while a volunteer in the ’96 campaign. He was the epitome of grace in a business often filled with vitriol and hyperbole. He was understated, but effective. He listened more and talked less. In essence, he was a statesman that represented Wyoming well for 24 years in the U.S. Senate.
“The Wyoming political family will miss him greatly and he and his family are on our minds and in our prayers.”
In a news release from his office, Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said Wyoming, and the U.S. as a whole, has “lost one of the most consequential public servants of our time.”
“Whether he was serving as mayor of Gillette, in the Wyoming Legislature, or in the U.S. Senate, you could not have asked for a stronger champion for Wyoming and our country than Mike Enzi.”
Barrasso said the late former senator was a problem solver who never wavered in his commitment to God, family or the state, evidenced by the more than 100 Enzi bills signed into law by four U.S. presidents.
“As the first accountant to chair the Senate Budget Committee, Mike secured a legacy of cutting wasteful spending and making government more accountable to American taxpayers,” Barrasso continued. “Mike was a mentor to me, a dear friend, and I will miss him tremendously.”
U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., who served in Congress for four years with Enzi, remembered him as a mentor and teacher with a dry sense of humor – and a dedicated champion of causes he cared about.
“Mike was a straight-shooter, an honest broker, and a soft-spoken but powerful advocate for the causes he cared deeply about,” she said in an statement. “Whether it was pushing for fiscal discipline as head of the Senate Budget Committee or fighting for the needs of Wyoming’s energy industry, Mike was always guided by principle and conviction.”
Gov. Mark Gordon has ordered both the U.S and Wyoming flags to be lowered immediately to half-staff. They will remain at half-staff until sundown at the day of interment. Once that date has been established, the Governor’s office will send out another notification to advise when the flags will be returned to full-staff.
Other officials around Wyoming also expressed their sorrow Tuesday, including state legislators such as Sens. Tara Nethercott and Anthony Bouchard, both R-Cheyenne, and Ogden Driskill, R-Devils Tower, and Rep. Charles Gray, R-Casper.
In a news release, the governor issued the following statement:
“Mike was a friend and a dedicated public servant who cared deeply about Wyoming and its people. His leadership in the Senate was tireless and productive. He was a strong advocate for the state’s interests and was always committed to finding consensus where possible. He understood what is important for America.
“We are all heartbroken by this terrible loss. Jennie and I join the thousands offering their prayers and well wishes for Diana and the Enzi family. God Bless you, Mike. Thank you for your service, and Godspeed.”
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