Island grieves cyclist who died after being struck by a deer

Published 9:55 am Sunday, May 25, 2025

Vashon residents are mourning the untimely death of islander John Kaiser, who died earlier this month after a deer crashed into him while he was bicycling on Vashon.

Kaiser, 61, was coming down the hill on 75th Avenue SW just north of the entrance to the Vashon Island Golf and Country Club in the early afternoon of Monday, May 5, his wife Aili Kaiser said. He’d just left their home in the Gold Beach neighborhood.

A deer came from Kaiser’s left and ran into him as he was going down the hill. The impact crushed his helmet, Aili Kaiser said, and based on his injuries, she doubts whether he even saw the animal coming.

“We were aware of deer as cyclists,” she said. “We were on the lookout for them. But in that area, you cannot see them in the brush.”

Vashon Island Fire & Rescue Interim Fire Chief Ben Davidson confirmed that firefighters responded to the crash and that Kaiser was airlifted to Harborview. Family members confirmed that Kaiser died Saturday, May 10.

He is survived by Aili, his two daughters Ella and Lucy, siblings Polly, Billy and Sarah, nieces Susannah, Phoebe and Amelia, nephews Dylan and Callum and stepfather Maurice.

John was an avid island bicyclist and Microsoft Surface technical content manager. Aili, a research administration manager at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, moved to Vashon to be with John in 2014; the couple bought a home the next year and married in 2016.

The two both loved bicycling and frequently rode together. Aili described herself as more of a commuter bicyclist, and said John enjoyed the freedom and challenges of exercise bicycling on Vashon, which he did year-round. When he couldn’t cycle outside, she said, he’d use his bike trainer at home.

Just last summer, he fulfilled his dream of riding parts of the Tour de France, the premier bicycling competition.

“He was smart, he was intelligent, he was witty, he loved conversations,” she said. “He really, really loved trivia night on the island. He loved listening to jazz music, and piano music. He was widely read, he spoke French fairly fluently and loved practicing that. … He was kind to everyone. He did not have a mean bone in his body. (And) he liked to challenge people, because he liked to understand how they were thinking.”

For Aili, John’s story should be a reminder of the joy of cycling — not something to scare people away from an activity that he so deeply cherished.

“The important takeaway, I think, is do what you love,” she said. “He passed away doing what he loved. It was a gorgeous day. It was so beautiful. He was going to the library to do some work, because he wanted to get out of the house for the day. And he died on his favorite bike, doing his favorite thing, on a beautiful day.”

Island cyclists expressed condolences over Kaiser’s death, and told The Beachcomber that though deer are a reality of biking on the island, the animals are not about to stop them from getting out on their bikes.

They also stressed that for bicyclists, vehicles are a much more common risk.

Chad Magnuson, a bicyclist and physician who lives on Vashon, suffered a collision with a deer several years ago while going downhill on his way to the island’s north end passenger ferry.

His safety advice: Wear a helmet. Manage speed, especially when going downhill. Remember that Vashon only has road shoulders, which protect cyclists, on its main highway. And remember that cyclists on Vashon can be hard to see, even in the day. “I’m a big advocate of high-visibility clothing, blinking lights front and back, 24 hours a day,” he said.

Robert Ortega, a longtime biker who commuted for more than ten years as a bike messenger, has had his share of run-ins with deer, including one particularly bull-headed buck who threw him off his bike in a misguided attempt to protect a couple of does in a field.

“The unpredictableness of deer is crazy,” Ortega said. “I’ve been hit by a deer 11 different times on my bicycle. I’ve had only one bike that was completely destroyed. … I consider myself pretty lucky. … It’s unpredictable, but still doesn’t stop me from biking. … I’ve been hit by a car, and it didn’t stop me from biking.”

If you do get hit, whether by deer or vehicle: “Don’t tense up. Go with the roll,” Ortega said. “Be prepared. … Even if you’re old, there’s ways you can fall without breaking a hip.”

And Aili shared another piece of advice about her relationship with John that anyone — bicyclist or not — would benefit from hearing.

“A really important thing that makes me happy is that we told each other we loved each other every single day,” she said. “Before either of us left the house, we would tell each other we love each other, and give each other a kiss. And that happened that day before he left.”

A full obituary will follow. The family and friends of John will commemorate his life at a private memorial in July.