La Grande, Ore. (AP) – More than 300 people turned out in La Grande to remember a man whose son’s suicide inspired him to start a cross-country walk, a journey cut short by a fatal accident.
Joe Bell’s son, Jadin, hanged himself earlier this year in a schoolyard. He didn’t leave a note, but those close to him believe that the bullying of the gay teen led to his death.
In April, Bell started a two-year trek to campaign against bullying, but a truck hit him Oct. 9 in eastern Colorado.
On Thursday, friends gathered at Eastern Oregon University to celebrate his life. One high school student said that he “changed the world one mile at a time.”
Friends said he could be stubborn but wasn’t afraid to take a risk or be embarrassed.
