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Homeless Persons' Memorial
In Memorium
About the Observance
Each year since 1990, on or near the first day of winter and the longest night of the year -- December 21st -- the National Coalition for the Homeless, with the National Consumer Advisory Board and the National Health Care for the Homeless Council, has sponsored National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day to bring attention to the tragedy of homelessness and to remember our homeless neighbors who have paid the ultimate price for our nation’s failure to end homelessness. Beginning in 2005, the National Health Care for the Homeless Council and the National Consumer Advisory Board joined as co-sponsors of this meaningful event. In 2007, Homeless Persons' Memorial Day Services were conducted in Pinellas County for the first time ever. In 2008, more than 120 cities (including Pinellas County) conducted Memorial Day events on or around December 21 to honor the more than 3,200 people who died homeless last year.
Homelessness dramatically elevates one’s risk of illness, injury and death. The average age of death of homeless persons is about 50 years, the age at which Americans commonly died in 1900, according to Dr. Jim O’Connell in an article on premature mortality in homeless populations. Today, non-homeless Americans can expect to live to age 78.
Among the many homeless persons memorialized in 2007 were two homeless men who were murdered in St. Petersburg on January 17th. David Heath and Jeff Schultz, both residents of Pinellas County, were murdered in separate incidents blocks away from a “tent city” destroyed by St. Petersburg police five days earlier. The murders were a reminder of the prevalence of violent crimes against the homeless and the difficulties and dangers faced by them.
Homelessness is a growing problem in Pinellas County. According to the annual Point-In-Time count and survey conducted by PCCH in January of 2007, there were about 5,195 people who were not living in their own homes in Pinellas County – an increase of 10.5% over 2006. Of this amount, 18.5% are children and 1,221 adults and children were living in the streets. The increased number of homeless people, including families with children, has placed more demands on the limited number of shelter beds currently available in our County. As a result, these County residents may end up sleeping in the streets, doubled-up with friends or relatives or residing in unsafe structures not suitable for habitation.
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Homeless Persons' Memorial Day 2009
Once again, we are preparing to observe Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day in Pinellas County. It is observed every year around the country on December 21st, the longest night of the year, to give the community the opportunity to reflect on the passing of people without homes in our community and call attention to the plight of the homeless, particularly those who have been victims of street violence.
Memorial services will be held at four locations throughout the county on Sunday, December 20th. The times and locations are: at 3:00 p.m. in Upper Pinellas County, St. Timothy's Lutheran Church, 812 E. Tarpon Ave., Tarpon Springs; at 3:00 p.m. in North County at Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church, 110 S. Fort Harrison Ave., Clearwater; at 4:00 p.m. in Mid Pinellas County at Pinellas Hope, 5726 126th Ave. N., (1/4 mile west of 49th St. N.), Clearwater; and at 6:00 p.m. in South Pinellas County at St. Peter's Cathedral, 140 4th Street N., St. Petersburg.
A candlelight vigil will take place on Monday, December 21st from 4 - 6 p.m. at the County Courthouse in Clearwater. A mock homeless encampment, consisting of a tent, an American Flag, memorial wreaths and a banner, willl be erected. Volunteers will be on-hand to distribute flyers to passersby. At dusk, a candlelight memorial will be conducted.
Volunteers are needed to assist with the planning and development of the memorial service, permanent memorial, memorial quilt, and memorial archives. For more information, call George Bolden at (727) 528-5832 or click here.
Click here to download flyer with information about HPMD activities countywide.
Memorial Service Information - Upper Pinellas County
Memorial Service Information - North Pinellas County
Memorial Service Information - Mid Pinellas County
Memorial Service Information - South Pinellas County
Homeless Persons' Memorial Day Vigil Information
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How Congregations May Participate
To help commemorate Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, a series of cross-cultural worship services are conducted, and congregations of all faiths are encouraged to participate. These one-hour ecumenical worship services are housed in various houses of worship, and clergy and laity within proximity join together to plan and conduct the services. We invite interfaith, cross-cultural participation, and we especially encourage homeless and/or formerly homeless persons to be actively involved. PCCH will provide a worship service planning template to help guide planning efforts. Following these worship services, congregations are encouraged to serve a fellowship meal, inviting homeless and housed persons to share a meal together in solidarity. Congregants may also organize drives to collect needed items to give to homeless persons such as socks, blankets, backpacks, jackets, toiletries and more. Here’s a partial list of things prospective host and supporting congregations may do:
- Host a memorial service
- Challenge and urge congregants to attend the memorial service in your area
- Provide a hot meal to be served after the memorial service
- Recruit volunteers to help set up the dining area, serve the meal, and clean-up
- Provide a photographer and/or videographer
- Host a worship service planning meeting
- Recruit one lay and one clergy representative to participate in the planning efforts
- Conduct a drive to collect needed items such as socks, blankets, backpacks, jackets, toiletries and more
- Enlist a musician, choir, choral group, or hand bell group to participate in the memorial service
- Identify landlords with units to rent
- Print the bulletins for the memorial service
- Provide candles (real or battery-operated) for the memorial service
- Help transport homeless and other persons to the service
- Distribute bulletin inserts about the service through your bulletins in the weeks leading up to the fourth Sunday in December
- Collect an offering or send a missions gift to defray expenses of the services and to support efforts to establish a permanent memorial to persons who deceased while experiencing homelessness in Pinellas County
- Write and mail letters to the editor about the importance of stopping violence against people experiencing homelessness and increasing their access to health care and housing.
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Homeless Persons' Memorial Day 2008
On and around December 21st, in observance of National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day, interfaith memorial services were held in municipalities throughout Pinellas County to remember our neighbors who died while experiencing homelessness. These 30-minute, interfaith memorial services, coordinated by the Pinellas County Coalition for the Homeless (PCCH), featured readings from diverse sacred scriptures, music by local choral groups, eulogies on the theme “A Time to Remember,” and candlelight remembrances of the deceased. Free hot meals were served after each service to provide opportunities for homeless consumers, service providers, advocates, community leaders and others to share a meal together in celebration of the lives of those who once walked among us. In lieu of flowers, attendees donated clean, new socks and toiletries that were then distributed to homeless persons attending the services.
Memorial services were held at the following locations: in Upper Pinellas County, St. Timothy's Lutheran Church, Tarpon Springs; in North Pinellas County, St. Cecelia Catholic Church, Clearwater; in Mid Pinellas County, Pinellas Hope, Clearwater; and in South Pinellas County, St. Peter's Cathedral, St. Petersburg.
The purposes of the observance were: to remember our homeless friends and neighbors who died during this year while experiencing homelessness, to remind the public about the tragedy of homelessness, to reawaken efforts to stop violence against street homeless people, and to recommit ourselves to the efforts to end homelessness in Pinellas County.
In 2008, the names of twenty-two homeless persons were read during the memorial services. Among these names were two people who were murdered, one who died while sleeping in a homeless shelter, and an elderly woman killed after being struck by a car. The public is invited to submit additional information about homeless deaths in Pinellas County to insure each person is remembered with dignity.
A number of agencies worked together with PCCH to plan the memorial services including: Celebrate Outreach!, the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Religious Community Services, Inc., The Salvation Army and the Tarpon Alliance for Humanity. Proclamations encouraging citizens to observe this holiday were issued by the cities of Clearwater, Largo, St. Petersburg and Tarpon Springs. The Pinellas County Board of Commissioners issued the first proclamation in 2007.
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Stories and Information
Stories
Information
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Memorial Form
We would like your assistance in identifying people who died while experiencing homelessness this year. Additionally, we would like information about any family and friends they left behind to mourn their passing. Please take a moment to share any information you may have by completing the form below. Don't worry if you ony have a first name or a nickname or can't remember the date of death. Any information will be helpful to us. Thanks.
Marshall Bailey
Died February 12, 2008
It was said that Bennie was an alcoholic. He drank McCormick's whiskey. He got robbed constantly. His cause of death is unknown.
Bennie
Died 2008
Bobby was born October 31,1956.
Bobby Bureston
Died 2008
Eli was allegedly murdered, possibly along with Kimberly Stewart.
Eli
Died 2008
Mark Lafferty
Died 2008
James Mitcham
Died 2008
Fawn Muholland
Died 2008
Kimberly Stewart
Died 2008
Jeremiah Tebidow
Died 2008
Alberto Vargas
Died 2008
Raymund Villimal
Died 2008
William Gillespie
Died February, 2008
Neve Shantai
Died February, 2008
Craig Kennedy reportedly was a very nice, friendly man. He had been receiving his mail from Daystar for a while and
also signed up for Community Voice Mail there. While waiting for his mail, he often picked up trash to keep the place looking nice. He said it is his way of paying back. He worked day labor when he could get it.
Late one night, around 1:00 a.m., Craig was brought to Bayfront Medical Center. He was a victim of assault. He subsequently succombed to his injuries. Next of kin were notified.
Craig Kennedy
Died February 25, 2008
Diana Rasheed
Died March, 2008
John Garrett
Died March 5, 2008
Paul Knapp
Died March 20, 2008
David Watford
Died April, 2008
Lisa Parker
Died April 22, 2008
Ken Kiristis
Died May, 2008
Estelle Yurman was well known to Dunedin residents. She used to sit at the intersection of Belcher Road and SR 580 holding signs with religious messages for traffic. The 69-year old homeless woman was killed after being struck by a car on a dark stretch of highway in Dunedin on Wednesday night, December 10, 2008. She was wearing dark clothes and pushing a shopping cart full of bags and clothing. The driver of the car was not intoxicated or exceeding the speed limit. The accident occurred at 8:15 p.m., according to Florida Highway Patrol, afterwhich time she was transported to Bayfront Medical Center, where she died of her injuries. The next of kin, Kathleen Kerzner-LaRoche, and other family members in the area were notified. Estelle was estranged from her three adult children in California. She was 69.
Estelle Yurman
Died December 11, 2008
Known to his friends on the street as "New York."
Joseph Rivera
Died December 13, 2008
Alex Lajko came from a single-parent family. Alex moved to Pinellas County on January 15, 1999. He was searching everyday for a full-time job with poor results. Occasionally, he was able to get day labor jobs, but this was not enough to pay the rent. Alex then lost his apartment and was on the streets for approximately three months before finding out about the homeless street outreach team in Pinellas Park, which referred Alex to Pinellas Hope on December 29, 2007. Alex was a nice, kind and loving person that was always reaching for the stars. He enjoyed bike rides, computers. His favorite color was blue, and his best friend was Derrick. Alex did not give up. He continued to work with the staff towards his goals and had dreams of the future. Alex died of cardiac arrest on August 8, 2009 at the age of 40.
Alexander W. “Alex” Lajko
Died August 8, 2009
Brian David Thompson loved the beach, which brought him here to St. Petersburg, so he could be close to the water. He was helpful to those in need whenever he could. Brian died along the CSX railroad tracks in Pinellas Park on June 16, 2009, following complications due to a previous assault. He is survived by his mother, Dorothy, his daughter, Jennifer, and two sisters. He was 51 years old.
Brian David Thompson
Died June 16, 2009
"Cowboy" was a regular at St. Vincent de Paul Center in St. Petersburg. One day he was riding his bike and got hit by a car and died of brain trauma.
"Cowboy"
Died 2009
Farish Boggs was found behind the dumpster at St. Vincent de Paul Center in St. Petersburg. He was cold and sick; he died at age 46.
Farish's sister, Sue Davis, said her brother was a sweet, loving man and would give you the shirt off his back. She loved her brother very much and the entire family will miss him.
Farish is survived by his daughter, Kierra Griffith; and granddaughter, Lillith Griffith of Watertown, NY; mother, Joye Hill of Portage, IN; father, Farish A. Boggs, Sr of Portage, IN; 2 brothers, Kevin (Debby) Boggs of Portage, IN, Bob (Ann) Boggs of Chesterton, IN; 2 sisters, Penny Reeves (Jacque Jenkins) of Crown Point, IN, Sue (James) Davis of Plymouth, IN; several nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by grandparents, Walter Fracker of Zanesville, OH, Marion Fracker, Zanesville, OH, John and Helen Boggs of Fort Meyers, FL.
Farish's body was cremated by Abbey Cremation & Funeral Services Inc. of Largo, Florida. Private graveside services were held at McCool Cemetery, Portage, IN.
Farish Albert "Binky" Boggs, Jr.
Died July 20, 2009
"Jack" -- a white male in his 60s -- slept in car in front of The Whitney Hotel on Third Street in St. Petersburg. He had to constantly move his car from one side of the street to the other. He was found dead in his car one day in October of 2009.
"Jack"
Died October, 2009
"Baby Joe" was born on August 11, 2009, the first born child to a young mother sheltered by a homeless service provider. On November 17th, "Baby Joe" stopped breathing suddenly and inexplicably while in daycare. The cause of death is unknown; there is no hint of foul play. "Baby Joe" leaves to mourn his passing a darling mother, his adoring "family" at the shelter, and a host of family and friends. He was 3 months old.
"Baby Joe"
Died November 17, 2009
Kimberly Sue "Kody" Goode was born April 14, 1963. Kody, as she was affectionately known, was born in Indiana, attended Job Corps in Michigan and lived in California before settling in Florida. She worked in the construction trades and was a member of the UBS Drywall/Lather Local Union 9144 in San Jose, CA as an apprentice carpenter. Kody was a quiet and kind-hearted person, but because she liked to do “man’s work,” she could not always find jobs as a roofer or carpenter; people wouldn't hire her because of her gender. Unemployment forced her to live on the streets, and she was often arrested for homeless crimes like public urination. She became a resident of Pinellas Hope, but later left the program. Kody died in a wooded homeless encampment along U.S. 19 and State Road 52 in Pasco County at the age of 46 after being attacked by a younger homeless man with a violent history. She is survived by her mother and brother, and is missed by her friends and family.
Kimberly Sue "Kody" Goode
Died June 20(?), 2009
Matthew Paul Shinault was stabbed to death by another homeless man in Williams Park during an argument over a bike; on December 5, 2009.
Matthew Paul Shinault
Died December 5, 2009
Melissa Sjostrom was born in 1976. She later gave birth to her only son, Dylan. She was killed in a hit-and-run accident by a teenaged motorist while visiting in South Tampa in February. Jordan Valdez, the Davis Island teen who was driving the maroon SUV that struck Ms. Sjostrom that evening, subsequently plead guilty to an adult charge of leaving the scene of an accident with death and was sentenced to probation in the juvenile system and withheld adjudication of guilt. Valdez will lose her driver's license for five years, and must perform 250 community service hours. Melissa is survived by her son, Dylan, her birth mother, Connie Wheeler, adoptive mother, Marylou Hansen, her aunt, Lisa Mott, and a devoted friend, Katrina Wombles. Melissa was 33.
Melissa Sjostrom
Died February 8, 2009
Rick Anthony Andruskiewiecz, aka "Andrew McKeskie," was born September 23, 1950. He had been ill for quite some time, and he died in Pinellas Park on February 3, 2009. His cause of death is unknown. He was 58.
Rick Anthony Andruskiewiecz
Died February 3, 2009
Sandra Jane Starkey "Savanah" Browne was born on December 12, 1947 in Greene County, Pennsylvania, and later attended the University of Georgia in Athens. She was a Registered Nurse (R.N.). Known as “Savanah,” she became a Pinellas Hope resident in July of 2009. She was very talkative, the camp “social butterfly.” She had a beautiful smile and loved to dress up. She died on December 5, 2009 at the age of 62.
Sandra Jane Starkey "Savanah" Browne
Died December 5, 2009
Tony Lee Green was born on June 12, 1961 and raised in Columbus, South Carolina. In his youth, he was a talented artist who specialized in family portraits and landscapes. He painted many murals in his hometown of Columbus at the request of local business owners to help beautify the city. Sadly, due to construction and demolition, those murals are no longer there. In those days, Tony was very social and friendly and would help out anyone whenever possible. He had been in and out of trouble, but his mother's death in December of 2008 sent him on a downward spiral. He liked to hang out by Mirror Lake in St. Petersburg. On the afternoon of April 10, 2009, Tony was chased by police into Mirror Lake following his snatching of an elderly woman's pocketbook. Once Tony ran into muck-laden Mirror Lake, he could not free his feet, and he consequently drowned. Tony was laid to rest in his hometown by his family. He is survived by 5 brothers and 5 sisters, all in South Carolina. He was 47.
Tony Lee Green
Died April 10, 2009
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