"In just a few short months, Chad touched so many of us here.”

For those who knew Chad Bell, that space holds more than just peace — it holds a story of resilience, laughter, community, and healing.

Chad, a U.S. Army National Guard Veteran, arrived at the TR house in the spring of 2023. Homeless but hopeful, he was eager to begin a new chapter. 

“He got here and said, ‘This is the best place for me,’” said Kelly Arends, TR House Program Manager. “He was ready to start again, and he meant it.”

Chad was a part of VA’s Compensated Work Therapy (CWT) program, working with the engineering team at the Grand Island VA. Always upbeat and friendly, he quickly became known across the campus.

“Everyone knew Chad,” said a fellow Veteran who lived at TR House with Chad. “He was the kind of guy who would walk right up to you and crack a joke. You couldn’t help but laugh.”

A free spirit
In 1999, Chad joined the Army National Guard at 18 years old. After his time in the Guard, his free-spirited personality took him all over the country. 

“He traveled all the time, and a lot of times we didn’t know where he was,” recalled Chad’s mother, Deb, with a smile on her face.  “He would call us from California and tell us he was living on the boardwalk, then call from Arizona. One Christmas, all he wanted was deep-sea fishing gear because he was going to go up to Alaska to work on a fishing boat. Then he called and said he was headed to Florida. We were always getting surprises from that boy.”

Beginning in high school, Chad struggled with drugs and alcohol. He occasionally found himself in trouble with the law, but his family supported him through it all. When Chad told Deb that he had found a home at TR House, she was deeply grateful. 

 “About two weeks before he passed away, he sent me the most beautiful text that he’d found a great place to live here at TR House, a great church, and he was turning his life around. And I just said, ‘thank you, God.’”

A smile we can still sit with

In October 2023, Chad set out from the TR House on a road trip out west. Driving a minivan he’d recently purchased, he planned to do some biking in Wyoming and then visit his family in South Dakota for a long overdue reunion. Tragically, he was killed in a car accident before he arrived.

The TR house, where he had found stability and community, became the place where he was remembered and honored. Staff organized a memorial service, and eighteen of Chad’s family and friends made their first visit to Grand Island to see the place that he had called home.

“We didn’t know how involved he was here until after his death,” said Deb. “But seeing this place and hearing the stories — it meant everything.”

During the memorial service, a magnolia tree was planted in Chad’s memory. A year later, on the anniversary of his passing, his parents returned. They sat quietly beneath the tree with a few of Chad’s friends from the house, sharing memories and laughter through tears.

This spring, they returned again — this time with a bench, custom-made by his former high school in Chad’s honor, to face the magnolia tree. 

“This is our third visit,” said Chad’s father, Tom. “We never came here while he was alive, but now this place — this VA, this community — it’s part of us. It’s where he was finding peace.”

The memorial is a meaningful tribute to a Veteran who brought light, joy, and authenticity to those around him. His legacy lives on in stories about his sense of humor, his determination, and his kindness.

As the bench was placed outside the TR House, VA staff and Veterans gathered with Chad’s parents to remember their friend.

“Chad may be gone, but he’s not forgotten,” said Kelly. “When I reached out to Chad’s parents with condolences, I didn’t know that they would become part of our TR House family. In just a few short months, Chad touched so many of us here.”

For Deb and Tom, the magnolia tree and bench outside TR House are the place where they feel closest to Chad.

“He was always upbeat,” said Deb. “Even when life was hard, Chad found a way to smile. That’s what this bench is — it’s a smile we can still sit with.”