2013 Iowa Homeless Memorial

Dying Homeless…Alone & Forgotten

Dying homeless frequently means dying alone and forgotten. Having lost touch with relatives, family members often never know what fate became of those they once loved.

The names of people who died homeless in Iowa were read December 21st at a somber candlelight vigil. Gathered at the foot of the Capitol in the shivering cold on the first day of winter—the longest night of the year—the crowd paid tribute to those that died and listened to Mayor Cownie pledging to work to end the causes of homelessness.

Joppa also received proclamations from Governor Branstad and Mayor Cownie declaring it National Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day in the State of Iowa and City of Des Moines.

Since there is no formal registry of homeless deaths in Iowa, Joppa compiles the list each year from homeless people, shelters and other sources. Several of those remembered had no known last name. We know that many others have died unnoticed. friends we’ve lost in the past few years include:

• Merle Amodeo, 55, died 9/8/11
• Joe Balaski, 45, died unexpectedly 3/7/11*
• Robert “Rob” Bennett, 50, found dead in 2012
• Michelle “Little Bit” Breeding, 42, died in camp 11/6/09
• Christine Carter, died 9/6/10
• Constance “Connie” Celia, 57, died in summer 2013
• Bob Cohee, 56, died of congestive heart failure 7/7/12 *
• David “Michael” Duran, 55, drowned in river 11/29/12
• Stanley Golinsky, 56, murdered under a bridge 10/12/12
• Donroy Glenn, 66, died under a bridge and found 10/14/12
• Pamela “Pam” Gross, 44, died 6/17/12
• Jeffry Heaton, 51, died in a homeless camp in July 2013
• Anthony “Andy” Hudak, 64, a veteran, killed by a car 10/4/12
• Patrick Kennedy, 54, fell from bridge while sleeping 9/21/11
• Richard “Rick” McGarry, was in his 40s when he died in 2012 *
• Brian McKee, a veteran, died 12/17/13
• Shirley Meeowson, 50ish, died 12/12/11
• John Messing, 38, died 4/10/13 *
• Paul Meyers, 56, died of a terminal illness on 7/7/12
• Mary Moreno, R.N., 57, choked while eating dinner on 1/9/12 *
• Jonathan “Bear” Nichols, was 36 when he died
• Lance Oppenheim, 50, died of liver disease on 2/29/11 *
• Rock Persinger, 53, died 5/23/13
• Donald Leon Roberts, was 53 when he died
• Michael “Big Mike” Stein, died 12/9/11
• Bernard Taylor, died in 2012
• Kimber Rubendall, died homeless in 2012
• Anthony Strausbaugh, died at CISS in March of 2011
• Alan, 51, died 6/11/12 • John, 63, found dead in an abandoned home 4/4/12
• Robby, 41, found in a farm field 12/12/12
• Thomas, 50, died 6/12/12

*Got back into housing shortly before death