Father And Anti-Bullying Advocate Tragically Killed While Walking Across U.S. To Honor Deceased Son

The effects of bullying have taken many children from us, one of which was 15-year-old Jadin Bell who took his own life after anti-gay bullying. His father Joe Bell then decided to walk across the United States in his son’s memory and to raise awareness about LGBTQ tolerance. Sadly, while on his quest, Joe was struck by a semi truck and killed.

The Observer reports that Joe, who started his journey in Oregon, was walking along a Colorado highway when he was hit. He had reportedly been telling his son’s story to as many people as possible on behalf of Faces For Change, an anti-bullying foundation he founded in response to his son’s suicide. He had planned to walk 15 to 25 miles a day with this essential mission:

“We need to stop this bullying — it starts in our households, how we raise our children,” Bell said at the time. “We need to educate our school systems on how to deal with it; they don’t know how to deal with the problem.”

The 48-year-old man was struck by Kenneth Raven, 49, of a Bryan, Texas, trucking company. He may have fallen asleep at the wheel.

A memorial for Joe has been scheduled for later today and you can follow his inspirational journey via his Facebook page.

(photo: Facebook)