About Us
My name is Sean Jones and I am the founder of Dragonfly Rides. I am a Professional Coach and the owner of Endure Coaching, specializing in custom strength and cycling plans. I have been an athlete my entire life, playing collegiate soccer at Virginia Commonwealth University, and have been an avid cyclist since I finished playing college soccer.
On September 13, 2004, my sister Michelle and Aunt Teri were murdered. I've always strived to live a life with love and compassion for myself and others, but losing loved ones to violent crime brought a degree of struggle that felt impossible to recover from at times. In the aftermath of the crime, I distanced myself from the things that brought joy to my life (even selling my bicycles) and tried to carry on my life pretending everything was fine when it wasn't. Over the years since the traumatic loss, my drive to live a rich and meaningful life eventually broke through and I found solace riding bikes again, spending time in nature, and surrounding myself with a caring and supportive community. A large part of my healing and growth happened while on those rides, sometimes alone, but more meaningfully in community with people who love one another and welcome vulnerability and truth. During those rides, I realized how powerful it was to bring people together with the intention of honoring those we have lost and supporting one another along the way. As I made progress healing, so did those around me.
Dragonfly Rides was created as my way to give back. To bring people together who recognize the need to support survivors of violent crime, and empower survivors to grow and heal after unimaginable loss. As a collective group, we can come together to ride and to raise funds that will provide the resources necessary to support organizations that are working directly with survivors.
Sean Jones, Founder
Michelle Lynn Jones
Michelle Lynn Jones was born September 17, 1966, at Andrews AFB Hospital in Maryland, while her Dad was serving in the Navy during the Vietnam war, and didn’t meet him until she was 4 months old. She was surrounded by loving grandparents, aunts and uncles, and was a happy, healthy and full of life baby.
When Michelle’s brother Sean was born six years later on September 29, 1972, she was so excited and loved him so much. They had the normal growing up tussles as siblings. After High School they developed a strong relationship, respected each other and had an enduring love and camaraderie over the years. They shared many wonderful times together, sporting events, family celebrations, weddings and concerts. They could call each other anytime, knowing there was a caring person on the other end of the phone.
During her growing up years, Michelle was involved in school activities, participating in basketball, and as bachelorette for baseball in high school, as well as a youth counselor for the YMCA. She earned an Associate’s Degree at Valencia College and also attended University of Florida… a Gator she was… through and through.
During these years, Michelle met and made lifelong friends…really, extended sisters and brothers. She was affectionately called “Mitch” or “Jonesie”. There were a special group of friends, known as the “Musketeers”, Debbie, Lisa, Tammy, Peggy, Diana, and Dawn, and many others. As time passed, these friends shared joys and tragedies… loves, weddings, births, milestones, of school, holidays and accomplishments in each one’s life’s work, and deaths when they occurred as well. They just loved to be together. Michelle never had children of her own, yet there was an extensive group who called her Aunt Michelle. This network of relationships wove together a fabric of lifelong memories.
Michelle made significant accomplishments in her work life. She began a media career with Fox 35, moved on to CBS for a short while, then on to McCorkle Industries, followed by time with DeFalco Advertising, and for the last 5 years of her life, The Golf Channel. Michelle was passionate about her work… direct, candid, a tough negotiator and she delivered with dedication and pride in her team’s achievements. These colleagues were like family. She valued the “people” in the relationships she formed. Her compassion and caring were obvious as she treated them as whole persons; notably business first, and celebrating successes and challenges in their “whole lives”.
At the time of her death on September 13, 2004, Michelle was providing refuge for her Aunt Teri and Uncle Charlie, who had evacuated to her home from the Florida Keys, during Hurricane Ivan. The events that occurred in her home are unimaginable.
Michelle cannot be defined by this catastrophic tragedy. She was a phenomenal human being, who lived, loved and laughed… who cared deeply for others and sought to make the world a better place. For nearly 37 years, she did just that!!
Teresa Marie Helfrich
Teresa Marie Helfrich, “Teri”, was born March 16, 1958, at Tachikawa AFB Hospital outside Tokyo, Japan, while her Dad was serving in the Air Force. She was the sixth of seven children, a beautiful baby with curly blond hair in ringlets, loved and showered with attention by her older siblings. The family returned to the United States to Clinton, Maryland where she spent all her childhood. When she was eight, she experienced the loss of her baby brother, Robbie, who died from Leukemia in 1965. In those growing up years, she was active in school, playing competitive volley ball in high school. During High School, Teri was a wonderful auntie to her nieces and nephews in Maryland, supporting her sisters Pat and Claudia. After high school graduation, Teri attended her freshman year of college in Florida, living with Mary Lou, Bill, Michelle and Sean Jones. Michelle and Sean were “little sister and brother” during this time. Teri had a unique bond with Michelle… sister to sister/Mom to daughter and they cared for one another very deeply.
Teri moved to Mississippi and completed a BA in Business at the University of Southern Mississippi. She made lifelong friends during these college years. Afterwards, Teri returned to Florida and began her career at Ivey’s/Dillard’s Department Store. She lived with the Jones’ family for short periods of time during the next five years as she progressed in this company, living in Melbourne and Daytona Beach, where she was the Store Manager of Ivey’s Department Store.
Teri met Charlie Brandt on a blind date in 1985 and they were married on Ormond Beach, Florida in August 29, 1986, without any of Teri’s family present. They moved to Big Pine Key, Florida, in 1987, where Charlie was employed by Lockheed Martin. He was a technical engineer on “Fat Albert”, the Blimp that was tethered on Cujo Key, and provided surveillance for drugs and defense in the Caribbean. Charlie rotated to different shifts at work over these years, so there were a number of occasions when Teri was alone. For entertainment, they enjoyed being on the water, fishing, snorkeling, scuba diving, camping, by themselves and with a number of friends. They loved to cook together.
During this time, on a number of occasions, Mom and Dad Helfrich, sisters Mary Lou and family, Pat and family, Marty and family visited Teri and Charlie at their home. Teri and Charlie also participated in a number of Teri’s Family Reunions, visited sisters at their home, and attended family weddings. Michelle and Teri continued to have a close relationship, communicating over the phone and visiting one another often.
Over the next 17 years, Teri worked as a teller in a Big Pine Bank, as a Manager in a Dental Office, in Human Resources on the Little Palm Island Resort, and as an Administrative employee for IPM, an International Printing Company in Summerland Key. During this time, she developed dear friends, “sisters”, who shared memories of the happy times with them, the light and joy Teri brought into their lives. Teri’s coworkers described her as one who took her work seriously, brightened the room with a smile, contributed to the fun of those around her, turned beet red when she was embarrassed, and never took herself too seriously. She was known to make jokes about herself, saying weird words… “tongue tied”… and stayed positive.
At the time of her death on September 13, 2004, Teri and Charlie, due to Hurricane Ivan, had to evacuate their home on September 11th and were invited to stay with Michelle at her home in Maitland, Florida. The tragic events that unfolded in Michelle’s home, being violently murdered by her husband, who also brutally murdered Michelle, and then committed suicide, are indescribable.
Teri was a wonderful human being, who was unique and loving. She was one who cared deeply for others and made the world a better place.