Friends remember man killed crossing Portland Road

PORTLAND, Oregon – Friends of a man who committed a murder in northeast Portland in February remember him for his kindness and generosity.

On February 5, 61-year-old Ron Gaul died after being struck by two cars on Northeast Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The accident occurred around 6:30 p.m. Portland police identified Gaul as the victim more than four months after the incident.

“He was just a nice guy,” said Maria Los, a friend of Gaul. “He was just very friendly and had a great sense of humor.”

Los ran a leather goods warehouse in Northeast Portland, where she met Gaul, a homeless man who bought hundreds of pairs of boots from Los.

“So he was pretty well known as the boat guy,” Los said.

Gaul sold the boots on the side of the road in the summer. He often had a lot of customers, friends said.

“It took a lot of work and energy,” Los added.

When Gaul earned money, he helped his friends in need rather than using it to better his own livelihood. He often gave money away, Los said. Gaul also allowed his friends to stay overnight in his U-Haul truck when they had nowhere else to sleep.

Gaul was running across the house of his friend Wayne Bund when he was hit and killed, Bund said.

“I can’t even remember what day of the week it was,” Bund said.

No arrests were made. Portland police said both drivers involved cooperated with the investigation.

Four months after Gaul’s death, friends in his community are still struggling with his loss.

“We just can’t believe he’s not here anymore,” Bund said. “We all miss him very much.”

After Gaul’s death, Los erected a memorial marked with a pair of leather boots at the intersection where Gaul died.

“He was a really good guy and I miss him a lot,” Los said. “A lot of people miss that.”

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