Community mourns death of California Jesuit and his hiking companion

Published: 2007-07-02

PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- Family, friends and Jesuit communities are mourning the death of a California Jesuit priest and his hiking companion. The pair had been missing in Oregon since June 8. Authorities found the bodies of Father David Schwartz, 52, and Cheryl Gibbs, 61, just off a highway in the northwest part of the state July 1. They apparently died when their car ran off the road and rolled into a hidden ditch during a return trip to Portland from the Oregon coast. Thousands of motorists drive by the spot each day, but the crashed auto was not visible except by airplane. Tom Mulligan, Father Schwartz's brother-in-law, was at the scene and told Portland's KATU-TV that the family was saddened but was grateful for closure after a long statewide search. Everyone who knows the pair confirmed that their relationship was platonic.

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