The family of the victim in December’s Terminal Building fire announced Thursday, April 11, that they are partnering with Whatcom Mountain Biking Coalition (WMBC) to raise funds for a memorial in Nate Breaux’s honor.
Breaux, 39, died of smoke inhalation after a Dec. 16, 2023 fire consumed the historic downtown building in Fairhaven. Structural damage to the 135-year-old building hampered firefighter’s efforts to fight the blaze and search for victims.
Breaux owned both the Harris Avenue Cafe and The Old Independent Coffeehouse on the ground floor of the building at 1101 Harris Ave. He had started in the dish pit while going to school at Western Washington University in his early 20s, working his way up to head chef. Then in 2016, he bought the cafe, his family said.
“Nate loved mountain biking on Galbraith Mountain and was well known for helping new biking enthusiasts to not just learn to mountain bike but also to build and maintain their own bike,” wrote Belinda Breaux, Nate’s mother, in the GoFundMe for the memorial fund. “He hoped to someday have a trail sponsored by his restaurant, Harris Avenue Cafe.”
Donations to the fund will go to the WMBC, which will support the memorial. The goal is to raise $35,000 for a mountain biking trail and bench on Galbraith.
Even before sharing the GoFundMe publicly, it had raised $2,600 as of 3 p.m. Thursday.
Belinda said she was hopeful that the effort would far exceed their goal, allowing them to also sponsor mountain biking programs for youth.
Breaux introduced his daughter Izabella to biking and was eager to take her mountain biking on Galbraith, Belinda said.
“Unfortunately that dream was cut short,” she wrote on the GoFundMe.
Belinda recalls Breaux having a small seat for his daughter attached to the back of his bike, so he could take her to Lake Padden for picnics.
“The whole idea of biking was central to who he was,” Belinda said.
In 2010, Breaux set off on an 18-month cycling trip, leaving Bellingham and ultimately, stopping along the Texas-Mexico border. Along the way, he helped out with the nonprofit Washed Ashore in Oregon, which uses beach debris for art installations.
Many nights, he would tuck his bike into the bushes alongside the road and sleep there, Belinda said.
On Dec. 21, 2023 the family held a vigil for Breaux. What was originally planned to be a dinner with close friends, family and cafe staff grew to more than 100 people from across the country, coming together to share their stories of Breaux.
“There were people who talked about how he not only introduced them to biking but he helped them build their own bike,” Belinda said.
One of those people who found endless encouragement from Breaux was Bellingham-raised Taylor Fiscus. The two started mountain biking together about 10 years ago when Breaux helped Fiscus build a bike.
The trails of Galbraith Mountain, easily accessible by bike from Bellingham, became the regular stomping grounds for the pair.
“Nate always dreamed of sponsoring a trail up there,” Fiscus said, noting Breaux’s humbleness and generosity, especially toward those interested in joining the mountain biking community. “This would make one of his dreams come true.”
Over and over again, cycling was woven into the fabric of Breaux’s life and how he connected with people and the community, making a biking memorial the obvious choice, Belinda explained.
“We were always worried he was alone,” Belinda said. “Now we realize that he was never alone here.”
Isaac Stone Simonelli is CDN’s enterprise/investigations reporter; reach him at isaacsimonelli@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 127.
