PLEASE MEET JOSEPH:
With a heavy heart I want to share with you that Joseph Pidgeon passed away December 26, 2020. He died in bed at the age of 63 years old in a Plymouth Housing building downtown Seattle.
Who was Joseph you might ask?
What comes first to mind is that he was BEAUTIFUL. His beauty was connected to his smarts, which informed his humor, which fueled a certain mischievousness, which made him infinitely endearing! Joseph was also a father of three, a veteran, high-rise construction worker, musician, crossword puzzle wizard, and for about 20 of his last 21 years, he lived homeless.
When I first met Joseph it was winter. He had a blanket wrapped around him sitting in a wheelchair in the Fremont neighborhood. He was playing his guitar. As I approached I could hear him singing, '...people are strange', by The Doors. It made me smile, which made him smile, which was the beginning of our friendship.
Joseph had already been homeless for 10 years when we met. His life was caught in the spiral of alcoholism. It was difficult to witness. He was a sensitive man. He shared lots of feelings about his life, sometimes with frustration, sometimes with tears.
Joseph loveLOVED crossword puzzles. He could do the Sunday NY Times puzzle, the hardest of the week, in several hours. He was a good story-teller, loved a big laugh. One of the first adventures he told me about was how he'd climbed to the top of the 600' KIRO radio tower on Queen Anne Hill, not coming down until it became a media sensation, helicopters buzzing in circles! I doubted that he really did it, until I checked on the internet and found the article.
One day, several years later, Joseph came into my architecture office with his cane, sat down next to my drafting desk and said, "I want to thank you for your friendship and also say goodbye." He then told me he had a gun hidden outside and was going to kill himself. We talked and cried for an hour or so. I asked if I could call his case-manager, who then called the police. Five minutes later there were four officers talking gently with him, asking how he was doing. One officer put his hand on Joseph's shoulder and said, "Come on buddy, we are going to get you some help." Joseph looked up and replied, "I don't need help, I need love."
Patty Doyle was one of the very first volunteers for Facing Homelessness. She was retired and used her time to give love to those struggling outside. Joseph needed love and Patty gave it in the form of countless trips to the VA for treatments, trips to the emergency room, trips to the store for food or clothing, and endless phone calls and meetings advocating for Joseph. They became best friends. My heart hurts for Patty and her loss.
I want to give a special THANK YOU to Plymouth Housing for giving Joseph a place to stay. Both Patty and Plymouth made a profound difference in Joseph's life.
Thank you Joseph for sharing your beauty with us. Your friends and family, including Kristine your daughter, will miss you dearly.
Keep soaring higher and higher Joseph! LOVE.
Fremont neighborhood | Rex
A QUIET THOUGHT - If you’re moved by the goodness of this community, please visit http://www.facinghomelessness.org/ and click on the ‘donate’ button and consider a “monthly recurring” donation of just $5 in support of the work. THANK YOU!
#facinghomelessness #justsayhello #kindness #yesinmybackyard #theblockproject