Hundreds Gather to Remember Missing Fisherman

Loren Ruden, 53, has been missing at sea since Monday

Hundreds of people gathered Saturday to pay tribute to a fisherman who went missing while on a boating trip near Oceanside Monday.

Though left with few answers, family and friends of 53-year-old Loren Ruden held a memorial for the missing fisherman at about 10 a.m. at the north jetty at the Oceanside Harbor.

Ruden has been missing since Monday after an ill-fated boating trip with his dog “Sadie” that began in the Oceanside Marina at around 11:30 a.m that day.

A search for Ruden that involved multiple agencies and spanned 2,100 square nautical miles along the California coastline was suspended on Wednesday.

Among the guests at Saturday’s memorial were Ruden’s children, his wife Susan Ruden, and Ruden's sisters, Linda Stanley and Angie Richards, who earlier in the week pleaded to the public for help in locating the missing fisherman.

"My brother had many, many different groups of friends," said Richard. "So many people had connections to him and it makes us feel really good to know that so many people recognize what a really great human being my brother was."

The Ruden’s ordeal began Monday evening when a beachgoer located Sadie, alone on the north side of the Oceanside Pier. The beachgoer contacted Ruden’s wife using Sadie’s dog tag, which set the search for him in motion.

On Tuesday, Ruden’s 21-foot Striper he named “Lucky Dog" was found 10 miles northwest of La Jolla traveling in circles at idle speed with no one aboard. The boat was towed in by Oceanside Harbor Police and processed by investigators for evidence.

Multiple crews assisted in the search for Ruden, including members of the Coast Guard Sector San Diego, Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles, Coast Guard Auxiliary, Oceanside Harbor Police, Customs and Border Protection, various air crews and several volunteers.

“I wish he could’ve been found, but that was not to be,” Susan Ruden told NBC 7 on Thursday in front of her Oceanside home, accompanied by her three children. “Loren loved the ocean and he loved being on his boat. Our children, our family we all love him very much and we’ll miss him. Anyone who knew him will miss him as well.”

Family described Ruden as a family man and an experienced boater who went out on the water every few days, often times with his dog.

After a week-long ordeal, Ruden's sister said that family has begun the process of moving forward.

"He was a great guy we're going to miss him terribly," Stanley said. "We were happy to have today to celebrate him and to start saying goodbye to him."
 

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