Max Square was standing room only Friday night.

Residents and friends came out to support the Bell family after Joe Bell was tragically killed on a Colorado highway Wednesday afternoon.

Bell was on a walk across America to honor his son Jadin, who took his life earlier this year. Jadin was openly gay, and family members say bullying played a role in his death.

“This is a place of love and healing,” said Miranda Warren-Zacharias, who helped organize the candlelight vigil.

Though Warren-Zacharias nevermet Jadin, she said she was touched by his story. She met Joe afterwards.

“He was awesome,” she said of the few times she got to talk with him.

Richard Scott, president of Eastern Oregon University’s Gay Straight Alliance, said he grew up gay in La Grande and knows what Jadin went through.

“If I can provide some sort of example to someone who’s hurting,” he said.

Bell family friend Bud Hill provided some laughs at the vigil.

“You knew I wasn’t done,” he said as he took the mic for the third time.

On a serious note, Hill said Faces for Change, the foundation started after Jadin’s death to put an end to bullying, is still going.

“We’re still going to get the education out there. We have to,” he said. “(Joe’s) mission from day one is if he could save one life it was worth it. I’ll go to my grave believing he did.”

Hill also said he had been contacted by people interested in finishing Joe’s walk. He had planned to visit some southern states before eventually finishing in New Jersey.

Former neighbors of the Bell family recalled being greeted by the family with open arms.

“They opened their home and their hearts to us without question,” said the neighbor, who now lives in Salem.

A former co-worker recalled Joe Bell’s contagious laugh, and a La Grande High School freshman noted that students have joined together and become stronger since Jadin’s death.

“Before that we weren’t very willing to sit down and connect with each other,” she said.

Christy Marsing said she joined Faces for Change because she, too, has a gay son who was bullied in school. She has helped the organization set up speaking engagements through Joe’s walk, a task that was sometimes overwhelming. Marsing said it was in those stressful moments that she would get a simple thank-you call from Joe.

“I think I had bitten off more than I could chew?” she asked. “It would just humble me.”

Contact Kelly Ducote at 541-786-4230 or kducote@lagrandeobserver.com. Follow Kelly on Twitter @lgoDucote.