Local minister hit by teen driver: 'It was a great tragedy'
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EUGENE, Ore. -- A Portland minister with ties to Eugene was hit and killed crossing the street Friday afternoon while attending a ministry conference in Pendleton.
Trudy Bradley was crossing SW Court Place in Pendleton on her way to her hotel Friday afternoon when a 17-year-old driving a truck ran her over. Bradley was flown via air ambulance to OHSU where she was later pronounced dead from her injuries.
Charges have not been filed against the driver. However, detectives have opened up an investigation into the crash.
Trudy Bradley was a Children's Education Minister at the First Congregational Church in Portland. She also spent time at the First Christian Church in Eugene, where she used to be a member of the congregation.
Trudy's daughter, Heather Archer, said that her mother made a significant impact on people in both communities.
"We've had so many messages from people in the community... both in Portland and Eugene, saying how deeply touched they were by interacting with her." Eugene-resident Heather Archer said.
Dan Bryant, Senior Minister at First Christian, said his father was the pastor at Trudy Bradley's church in Portland. He added that the time Bradley spent at the church made her a part of his extended family.
"She felt a call to the ministry and decided to become ordained ... it was a great tragedy to learn of her death." Bryant said.
Heather said that while she finds it hard to find good in her mother's death, she wants to spread the message of love and forgiveness Trudy had in her life.
"Especially in this situation," Archer said."That is something that she would want people to know."
Archer said that she couldn't divulge the information police have shared with her about the crash because of the investigation. She did mention that the crash happened near a high school that there is typically a lot of congestion in the area. Police also said that crashes happen frequently in the area.
Note a correction: It should be First _Congregational_ United Church of Christ, not First _Congressional_ Church in Portland. Don't ever rely on spell-check; this is the kind of error only a human intelligence can catch... at least until AI gets a lot better!
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My heart go out to the family and friends...
Where's your god now?
 @Nogod Trudy would forgive you for you comment, just as I will forgive you now. I am not Christian, but I took her class at Marylhurst for my Religious Studies degree. What I learned from this compassionate, intelligent woman cannot be measured.
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If you knew her, you'd know one thing she was passionate about was interfaith education, interfaith communities working together for peace.
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I hope you find it.
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@Danielle F.
You cannot measure nothing. So, nothing is what you learned. I need not be forgiven for speaking truth.
 @Nogod You're a jerk regardless of your beliefs.
@Nogod
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You will know where is God, when it is time for you to leave this world then you will meet Him, and when that happen I felt sorry for you because if you don't accept Jesus Christ as your LORD and SAVIOUR then the only available place for you is hell, there is worm there that will never die. I hope you will get save soon I will pray, because I want to see you in heaven eventhough I may never know you in this world.
 @bsave  @Nogod if you truly believe then there is no reason to be sad,you should be happy for her,if you truly believe then she was a truly good person and is in heaven or she was not a good person in the eyes of the lord and she is in hell where she can not harm another so be happy she died,
be sad for her friends not her,or you are a non believer and a hypocrite.
me i am a non and content and hope she didnt suffer but she did cause trauma to a person who was just working
 @bsave
How's that freewill working for you? lol
 @bsave There's no need to meet his rudeness with more rudeness. And make no mistake about it, your sanctimonious prosthelytizing IS RUDE.
 @souptonuts What did I say that was rude?
@PleaseBeSmart @bsave As is yours.
 @Nogod Wow... you're not really helping christians see atheists as normal, ethical, compassionate people. Does it make you feel good to take a shot at the dead, knowing full well their family may read this? Have some freakin standards of human decency.Â
@PleaseBeSmart
Xist haven't shown very much normality, ethicality, or compassion for 2000 plus years just a whole lot of hypocrisy.
 @Nogod ... And you're doing what, exactly?
Ouch! I'm not religious by most folks standards, but I would never bash someones beliefs in the context of a tragedy such as this. I do believe in Karma though.....
Be careful Nogod....it may come calling.Â
@flo3nc3
I Broke The Karma Wheel. I only view infinite as a straight line.