Planning a funeral in place of a wedding: Man dies weeks before big day

KNOXVILLE (WATE) – Jessica Bell was like so many brides planning a wedding, excited and stressed at the same time. Just two weeks before her wedding day, all those romantic dreams were shattered with her fiancé’s sudden death.

“This is the ring we picked out Monday. This a picture collage of our save the date stuff I made the other day,” Bell said, as she showed the boxes and folders of all the things she had ready to go for her wedding on June 11.Previous story: 1 dead after Anderson County chase ends in Knox County crash

Her wedding dress is still at her parents’ house. All those plans were halted with a phone call about how her fiancé, Kevin Bradley, 27, had been in a wreck.

“It’s like somebody was ripping my heart out of my chest. We were going to start a family together. In two weeks we would have been married. It’s the hardest news I’ve ever gotten in my life,” explained an emotional Bell.

Bell and Bradley had dated for four years.

“On our first date he said, ‘Jessica Bell, do you believe in fate?’ He was the most loving, caring, and genuine person I’ve ever met in my life,” she said.

Bradley was killed when a vehicle driven by Ralpheal Coffey, 26, crashed into his truck. Coffey was fleeing deputies from Anderson and Knox counties at the time.

“I have nothing to say [about Coffey.] Nothing to say at all,” Bell said.

Now she’s left with boxes and folders of a life plan that will never unfold. What she is left with is the gift of the time they had together.

“He was so fun to be around. He taught me how to live and just have fun. He gave me the best four years of my life,” she said.

Bradley was an organ donor and his organs are being harvested. Forensic tests need to be done before the family can plan a funeral.