James Henry Githens Jr. was supposed to meet fiancee Amanda Cauble at Lowe’s Home Improvement on Saturday evening, but he never showed.

Githens, who went by Jim, was killed when his motorcycle was struck by a car turning in to the parking lot at Economy Inn on Bendix Drive. He’d just left Tilley’s Harley-Davidson where he’d bought a part and was en route to pick out fall flowers with Cauble.

The 47-year-old died at the scene. Salisbury Police have not said what charges the driver of the car, Shawn Dale Anderson, may face. The investigation continues.

Cauble said her fiance was an experienced rider and had been riding motorcycles since his teens.

The couple, who first met seven years ago, had been engaged for a year and a half. They were planning a fall wedding. In fact, their wedding gift to each other was the motorcycle Githens was riding when he was killed, a 2014 Harley-Davidson Street Glide.

“We finally got him a nice one,” Cauble said.

The couple bought the motorcycle in May from the Tilley store.

“He just loved being able to breathe in the fresh air,” she said of Githens’ love of riding.

He was born and raised in Illinois, but has lived in Rowan County for a number of years.

“He was a very religious man. He loved God,” Cauble said.

Githens was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Concord.

He never met a stranger, she said, and was very giving.

“He was the best man I’ve ever known,” she said.

The two met at the home of mutual friends. They both had a love of motorcycles. However, Cauble said she doesn’t ride anymore.

Cauble said she’ll miss the love that Githens showed to her and her 10-year-old son, Cade.

She appreciated and loved that he was a father figure to Cade.

Outside of Cade, Cauble said, Githens was her “other half.”

“He made my day,” she said.

Contact reporter Shavonne Potts at 704-797-4253.