They say the measure of a man is measured by his friends and Armando Archuleta had lots of them. The victim of an accidental shooting on July 19, he left behind a large contingent to celebrate his life and legacy with a memorial motorcycle ride Saturday.

    The ride went from Pocatello Cycle to several locations throughout the city to help raise money to offset Archuleta’s funeral expenses, with any excess going to the Gate City Boxing Club, an organization he charished.

    “This is just indicative of who he was,” said Zander Yuan, 23, Archuleta’s son. “It shows just how many friends he had and just how much respect he was given.”

    Yuan added that his father knew the fleeting nature of life.

    “Life was so amazing and unique to him,” he said.

    Yuan’s mother, Stephanie Armstrong, concurred, saying that he lived life on his own terms and he died on his own terms.

    “This gathering today will not only aid with some necessary expenses and shows just how much Mondo was loved, but is also helping in the healing of Zander, who has been so strong in the face of what happened.”

    From his obituary: “At 51 years of age, there isn’t much Armando would say he hadn’t done. From snowboarding in the Sierra’s to searching for Sasquatch in the Sawtooth, he lived for adventure and experienced more than the average man could ever dream of. His tales — whether fact, fiction or some combination of the two — could hold the attention of anyone in earshot.”

    Archuleta was also a longtime pugilist collected many titles. At age 30, after a 13-year hiatus, he came back to the sport he loved and won the Idaho Golden Gloves championship, the Regional Golden Gloves championship and competed for the National Golden Gloves title in Chicago.

    “He was quite a man,” said boyhood friend Reuben Vialpando. “We grew up together in Pocatello and have remained friends ever since. On the Fourth of July we all went on a funeral (motorcycle) ride on the reservation and just last week we were planning to have a barbecue together. When I heard what happened, it was so unexpected and devastating to all of us.”

    Vialpando went on to explain that this massive outpouring was a natural reaction to what Archulta meant to this community.

    “These people are great,” Vialpando added. “We all know that something like this could happen to anyone of us tomorrow, so helping his family in this time of need is what we do. It’s a good feeling to help out and we are glad to do it.”