Man Dressed as Stormtrooper Walks Over 600 Miles to Comic-Con in Honor of Late Wife

Monica Sanchez | July 10, 2015
DONATE
Font Size

A Minnesota man spent the past month walking more than 600 miles down the California coastline in a Star Wars Stormtrooper costume to San Diego’s Comic-Con International in honor of his late wife.

Kevin Doyle, 57, started his long trek on Monday, June 6 at a Star Wars museum in Petaluma, Sonoma County. He arrived at the San Diego Convention Center just three days later on Thursday, June 9. 

He told San Diego Union-Tribune that the impressive gesture served as a tribute to the memory of his wife, Eileen, who died from pancreatic cancer in November 2012. 

An illustrator and photographer, Doyle hoped that, in addition to keeping his wife’s spirit alive, he might find healing for both his heart and his art. 

“In the time since she died, I’ve struggled with how to deal with the loss. I’ve been self-destructive and my art suffered,” he said. “Being out here, my mindset is an open book. I hope I find enough healing to be creative and work in that way again.”

The trip by foot was by no means a walk in the park. Along the way, Doyle braved heat waves, torrential rainstorms, traffic, and narrow ocean cliff trails,” San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

As talk of his journey spread, people reached out to Doyle with food and water, donations, and kind words of encouragement.

“Sometimes they just want to stop and give me a hug,” he said. “I haven’t wrapped my head around it at this point. I’m walking to honor my wife but I had no idea that people would make it their own personal journey.”

We sure do hope he finds the closure and inspiration that he was looking for. 

Doyle dedicated his walk to Eileen’s Little Angels, a charity he created to provide comfort bags to children undergoing chemotherapy. 

donate