Stephen Beckman Remembered With Laughter, Tears

Laughter and a few tears filled The Spoken Word Church in Rancho Santa Margarita on Saturday during the funeral for Stephen Thomas Beckman.

The short service paid tribute to the man who jumped off the Oso Parkway Bridge on July 7, but whose organs helped others live. His mother, Colleen Kelly, sat in the front row, next to her older son, Ryan.

Kelly, who witnessed her son's suicide, did not speak, but she did greet mourners afterward and smiled, even laughed, often.

"This sermon made it real. I don't think I was ready to make it real," she said.

"We have people who've known him his whole life here, and we have people who met him two months ago who were totally touched by him in that short amount of time. It's just amazing how he connected with people."

The cremated remains of her mentally ill son were on the stage, not far from where he was baptized last November. Beckman was 22, and was pronounced dead on July 11. His organs were harvested for donation, including his heart, which went to a local resident.

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Pastor Bob Cote told of a conversation he had with Beckman's older brother: "Ryan said to me, 'Whoever gets Stephen's heart doesn't know what they're in for,' " Cote said, drawing laughter from the audience.

Beckman's heart may well beat for another 80 years. It survived a 63-foot jump off the Santa Margarita Parkway Bridge in June, 2011, and doctors told his family that his survival was miraculous. However, his mental illness was more prevalent afterward.

When he jumped 96 feet off the Oso bridge, he essentially suffered a brain injury on top of a brain injury, but the bush he fell on cushioned his body enough to protect other organs for donation, including his pancreas, liver and kidneys. It wasn't until the day following the jump that his mother learned her son was an organ donor.

Lifelong friend Lee Thomas, who served as best man at the wedding of Beckman's parents, said Stephen was "a joy to know, easy to love."

Thomas told the audience of Beckman's love for the beach and bodyboarding, but also of the Relay For Life in Mission Viejo, a 24-hour fundraiser last month for the American Cancer Society. Beckman chose to commit to the full duration, rather than the two hours he signed up for.

"He ran over 12 miles and told everyone 'I love you,' " Thomas said. "From that point on he became known as the 'I love you man.' "

Ryan Beckman followed with short comments, but closed with his brother's sentiment: "Thank you, and I love you."

Cote, and his church, didn't come into Beckman's life until after "what is known as Stephen's first encounter with the ground."

"He was a walking miracle, and God had many purposes for Stephen," Cote said. "He continued to recover in ways that people couldn't imagine."

He also told of the first time he formally met Beckman. He introduced himself as "Pastor Bob Cote."

"Stephen," Cote said in the hospital room, "this is crazy."

"Yeah," Beckman responded. "Holy bleepity bleep bleep."

He also told a story of Beckman giving a homeless man all his money, and ripping off a string of expletives in front of his mother and brother and then walking over to the kitchen sink and washing his own mouth out with soap.

"I can't even fathom the purposes God had for him," Cote said, "but I can tell you my life got more exciting after I met him."

Ryan Beckman also prepared a music video that showed photos from their life together.

Beckman was born born premature Jan. 20, 1990, and his mother was told he might not live the next 24 hours. He did, and he went on to graduate in 2008 from Tesoro High. He also attended Saddleback College and completed the Veterinary Attendant Program at the Professional Veterinary Assistant School in Lake Forest. He worked as a pet care assistant at

In addition to Colleen Kelly and Ryan Beckman, Stephen Beckman is survived by his father, Michael Beckman; 1-year-old daughter Aurora Beckman, stepmother Jessica Beckman, grandmother Joanna Beckman, grandfathers Tom Beckman and Robert Kelly, great grandmother Florence Szczepanski, uncles Sean Kelly and David Beckman; and cousins Brendan and Collin Kelly and Miranda and Aaron Beckman.

To read more about Stephen Beckman:

Editor's Note: To learn more about subjects included in the Stephen Beckman story, consider:

• Suicide—National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
• Organ Donation—Donate Life
• Mental Illness—National Institute of Mental Health