Mourners gathered Thursday morning at a funeral Mass for the Wall Street Journal reporter whose body was found in a New Jersey river earlier this month, more than a year after he went missing.
Services for David Bird were held at St. Vincent de Paul Roman Catholic Church in Stirlin at 11 a.m.
Bird’s body was found in the Passaic River on March 17 about a mile from Hicks Tract Park, one of the energy market’s reporter’s favorite walking spots. The 55-year-old vanished on Jan. 11, 2014, after leaving his home in Millington for a walk.
His wife called police when he didn’t return two hours, and authorities fruitlessly searched the woods and waterways following the disappearance.
Thursday’s funeral comes as the Wall Street Journal raises money for Bird’s family.
An internal memo posted on the media blog JimRomensko.com says the paper will be making a $10,000 donation to a family trust. The Journal’s newsroom union has also contributed more than $4,000 to the family.
It remains unclear how Bird ended up in the river.
