As she headed for the final miles of her 40-mile bike ride through the five boroughs of New York City, Tina Crossley could sense the presence of her departed son, Jesse, encouraging her toward the finish.

“I know he was behind me to make it,” she said. “He would help me. I could just feel it.

“We accomplished something together that we talked about doing for a while.”

Crossley completed the TD Bank Five Boro Bike Ride May 1, a 40-mile trek through the city that had all the streets along its path closed down.

She and her son spoke about it in the past, but Crossley finally decided to pursue it during the winter, and met the January registration deadline.

Jesse Crossley, a 2012 Catasauqua graduate, was tragically killed when the 20-year old apparently slipped from the tallest of the falls at Glen Onoko Falls near Jim Thorpe in April of 2014. He was a member of the school’s soccer team that won a district title in 2009.

“Jesse always was an active kid 24/7,” said his mother. “He was always skateboarding, bike riding, and other things. He got the idea from renowned skateboarder Dan Pensyl, who went through the five boroughs with his skateboard.

“I knew I had to do it someday, and the race was on National Mother’s Bereavement Day. It all worked together.”

Crossley remembered some challenging, winter days to train for her event.

“There were a lot of really cold days when I was out riding my bike,” she said. “I stayed determined and pushed myself. When I first talked about it, there were other people who said they would do it with me, but they didn’t follow through. I’m not an active bike rider who would ride for miles, so this was something new for me. I knew I had to keep going.”

Crossley recalled how she quickly discovered that it could be a long afternoon.

“I remember going through parts of Manhattan and then Central Park,” she said. “I felt like I had gone a long way, but it was only five miles.

“They had a break about the 20-mile mark and I wondered if I could actually do this. Once I hit 30 (miles), I knew I could. Jesse also helped me along the way.”

Jesse was an honor roll student and an Eagle Scout with Troop 51 who also earned the Order of the Arrow.

Her son graduated in April 2013 from the Air National Guard from San Antonio/Lackland TX. He was enlisted with the 211th Engineering Installation Squadron at Fort Indiantown Gap. Jesse worked as gas/diesel attendant, or fuel engineer, for Haines Exxon.

Crossley fondly remembered her son as a good-natured young man who sought to help others.

“Every day, he tried to do a good deed for somebody,” she noted. “People would come to the gas station just to talk to him. He always tried to do the right things for people.

“It was one of the biggest funerals in Catty, and people from all over the country came because of his Air Force ties. He really enjoyed his time in the Air Force and in Texas.”

Crossley’s daughters, Jacqueline and Kaitlynn, created “Team Tina” T-shirts and posters to help support her. She has entertained participating in the race again next May with her daughters and other family members and friends.

“It was an accomplishment for me,” she said. “I think we will have a few people try it next year.

“But Jesse and I got through this one together.”