Jesse Boyer packed more of the good life into his 22 years than many get in a lifetime.

The Pinole Valley High graduate spent his days in and around yachts as a senior deck hand at Commodore Cruises & Events in Alameda, interrupted only by a year in Hawaii.

Boyer was described as strictly professional at work, and strictly goofy away from it. His mother still halfway expects to see his lanky 6-foot-5 frame walk through the door.

"I'm in shock," Laura Cooper said. "I still can't believe that it happened."

Boyer died early Thursday morning while riding his motorcycle home from work. According to the California Highway Patrol, Boyer was riding the 1994 Yamaha on the flyover connecting northbound Interstate 880 to eastbound Interstate 80 when, for an unknown reason, he failed to negotiate a left curve and struck the concrete divider.

Officer Sam Morgan said Boyer was flung from his cycle and over the barrier and fell nearly 100 feet. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Morgan said that while it rained earlier in the night, the roadway was dry at the time of the solo crash, and witnesses reported he was traveling at a high rate of speed.

A photo on his Facebook page shows new graffiti on the overpass where he died, referring both to his height and to his biological father, who preceded him: "RIP my brother JWB I still gotta look up to talk to you have fun with your pops in heaven."

Boyer loved the water and spent much of his teen years boating and, especially, fishing the local waterways with friends. At Commodore, he tied and untied yachts, served as the eyes and ears of the captain aboard ship and helped out with everything from serving drinks to nautical matters.

"He was always smiling, he had a good perspective on things," said Linda Wright, sales director at Commodore. "He was always pointing things out (to passengers), talking about what was out there. He was our little tour guide."

Boyer spent more time in the office of late, getting groomed for potential advancement. The job fit him like a glove, Cooper said.

"He loved boats and ships. He was a Sea Scout, which is where he developed a love for the outdoors," Cooper added. "He loved to fish -- loved to fish -- and dirt-bike."

Cooper's home was an impromptu host to many friends of her only child on Thursday, as news spread about his death. Gregarious and clever, Boyer made his friends laugh constantly with his jokes and pranks.

"There were a dozen people here, friends of Jesse," Cooper said. "Everyone was telling stories about him, both laughing and crying."