A Friday Harbor man died in a motorcycle crash on  Sunday, May 31, at about noon on Mount Baker Highway.

Sixty-one-year-old Michael A. Wayner, traveling with a group of fellow Friday Harbor motorcyclists at the time, was headed up the mountain when he plunged over a cliff near a series of switchbacks leading to Mount Baker Ski Resort, near mile post 49.

He suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the Washington State Patrol.

A motorcyclist since age 18, Wayner was known by family and friends to be a cautious and defensive driver. He reportedly was attempting to pass a vehicle when his motorcycle veered off the roadway and over the cliff.

He was wearing a helmet at the time and the cause of the fatal collision remains under investigation, according to the state patrol.

A Vietnam War veteran and licensed commercial driver, Wayner and wife Donna relocated from California to San Juan Island in the early 1990s. He worked for San Juan Sanitation as a driver for the past five-plus years and drove trucks for more than a decade for the construction company of the late Richard Lawson prior to joining SJS.

Wayner is father of four children and four grandchildren.

A memorial account will be set up in Wayner’s name at the “gofundme” website to help the family with funeral expenses.