Loganville, Georgia, is mourning the death of Gunnar Redding Bible, a Loganville High School football player whose fight with a serious illness drew support from teammates, classmates, coaches and family members across the community.
The team said Bible died on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, and announced a balloon release in his honor for Sunday at 6 p.m. at Red Devil Stadium.
Bible had been a student at Loganville High School and, until about seven weeks before his death, was an active athlete in the Red Devils football program.
A family fundraiser said he had been hospitalized after being diagnosed with Guillain-Barré syndrome, pneumonia and lupus, and that his condition had grown increasingly severe during his time in the hospital.
A fight that brought the whole community in
The football program’s tribute post said Bible died after a “long and courageous battle.”
The team wrote, “Thank you, Gunnar, for your strength, your heart, and the impact yu made on our team and our community. You will never be forgotten.”
Head coach Nic Snowden also said, “We will all miss you dearly Gunnar.” The team did not publicly say exactly what Bible had been battling in that post, but the fundraiser and later public posts pointed to his long hospital stay and medical complications.
A separate post from the coach asked the community to remember Bible’s family as well.
Snowden wrote, “Sad day. Please be praying for his mother, Teresa Redding and brother Felton. We will all miss you dearly Gunnar.”
That post matches the family-centered support that followed the news across Loganville’s football circles.
Bible’s mother, Teresa Redding, had earlier created a fundraiser describing the scale of the medical crisis. She wrote that Gunnar had been admitted to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta PICU with Guillain-Barré, pneumonia and lupus, and said he had been on a respirator since admission.
In the same post, she said the family was trying to deal with steep medical bills, the need to move to a single-story home and the need for a reliable vehicle.
Tributes keep growing across Loganville
The loss hit hard in the community because Bible had been known not only as a football player, but also as a student whose illness had already connected many people to his story.
Public posts from the team and family sparked a wave of tributes, with classmates, teachers, former coaches and friends remembering him as quiet, respectful and deeply loved.
One tribute from April Previte Turner said, “I remember teaching him in my 7th ELA class. Such a kind, quiet, respectful young man. This just hurts my heart.”
Another from Tyler Redding read, “This one has my heart in pieces… I LOVE YOU FOREVER ALWAYS MY GUNNIE!!!” In that same post, the family member wrote, “Diagnosed with Guillain-Barré, pneumonia, and lupus. It all happened so fast.”
These messages echoed the grief now spreading through Loganville and the broader Red Devils football family.
The team’s announcement also said the community should gather at Red Devil Stadium for the balloon release on Sunday evening, giving friends, teammates and supporters a chance to honor Bible together.
For many, that moment has become the public expression of a loss that has already been felt privately for weeks.
A GoFundMe created by Bible’s mother on May 25 described his condition as critical and said the family was still trying to cover major care needs while he remained hospitalized.
By the time the death announcement came, the fundraiser and team messages had already made clear how seriously the community was rallying around him.
Bible is being remembered as a young athlete whose battle drew compassion from far beyond the football field.
The coming balloon release is expected to bring together the same community that spent the last several weeks praying, donating and posting tributes in his name.
