Turning tragedy into something good

By Anna Jauhola
This summer, the 15th and final Tom Landowski Memorial Motorcycle Ride marked the end of an era, but not its namesake’s continuing legacy.
Drayton, N.D., has long benefited from the name Tom Landowski — the man whose parents owned and operated Landowski Furniture for years was instead in the games business. When he tragically died in a motorcycle crash in 2010, Landowski left behind his widow, Taryn, and their three daughters. Their daughter, Jessi, was riding with him the day of the crash. She was injured but survived and helped bring to life a Memorial Fund honoring her dad.
Taryn Landowski, originally from Karlstad, met Tom in 1992 when she was managing the Karlstad American Legion.
“He was my jukebox man,” she said. “It was close to a year before we started dating.”

To read the whole story, see the Nov. 26, 2025, edition of the Kittson County Enterprise