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Hotel fire victims mourned |
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Written by BERNICE TRICK
Citizen staff
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 |
Joseph James Delere ( J.J.), left, and Reginald Claude White (Zoey) died in the Columbus Hotel Fire. The photos were displayed at the memorial at St. Vincent de Paul Wednesday. (Citizen photo by David Mah)
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Joseph James Delere and Reginald Claude White are believed to have died in the Aug. 19 fire, and William Bernard Peterson died Aug. 20 in Vancouver from severe burns.
Just about everyone at St. Vincent de Paul knew J.J., who had been coming in for meals for more than 20 years, and they remembered him as a kind soul who'd give you the shirt off his back.
"I grew up knowing J.J. because my mom worked at the Columbus Hotel where he lived," said Celia Robinson, who was among about 80 people attending the service.
"When my mom was working, he'd spend time with my brother and I playing cards and keeping us entertained. He cared about everybody. The last time I saw him he insisted on buying me a hot dog ... even though he couldn't afford it, and staying with me to make sure I ate it," said Robinson.
"He was just a sweet spirited person, and very much a part of the close-knit family of employees and residents at the Columbus. It's something that people can never understand unless you're part of it," said Kitty Mueller, Robinson's mother, who worked at the hotel for about 20 years.
Zoey came to St. Vincent's with a bit of an angry attitude, said Louis Dauvin, a lead hand at Shepherd's Corner.
"He liked his tea and would put a tea bag in a cup of water with about a half cup of creamer in it. "One day, he had a tussel-hustle with another guest who didn't like the fact Zoey was spreading his peanut butter too thick. Well, Zoey liked peanut butter, and took exception and kind of lost it, so from then on he came to Shepherd's Corner instead."
Ray Llig, a volunteer at Shepherd's Corner, paid tribute to Zoey with a song on the guitar.
"He and I played a lot of guitar together. He could have played this much better than I, but that was Zoey's song," he said.
Bernie Goold, St. Vincent society member, said, "Throughout our years here we've been faced with many deaths, but none more tragic than this. It was a nightmare watching it burn knowing some of our people lived there, and when the roof collapsed we could only pray and watch helplessly. "
"J.J. was one of those who left his footprint on our hearts and souls. He was a man of few words, but his impish smile lit up the room. We know that today there are three people in heaven advocating for us today. We were privileged to know them."
Rev. Peter Zimmer told the gathering, "St. Vincent's is not a place of do-gooders who drop-in and then drop out as many people think. If you want to see a community where people really care for each other, come into the drop-in centre."
So many of the people who work, volunteer and support each other here live in the downtown core and this is where you'll see a Christian community in action, he said.
"As we remember three people who died last week, some may have regrets, saying I wish..., but it's never too late because there's a whole world out there to care for."
He said the thing that made people most angry at Jesus was that he ate with people others clearly avoided.
"Well, if you're here at lunch time today, you'll see Jesus all over the place," Zimmer said
Ruth Cottingham, who's risen from the streets to become a full-time nanny, said it's sad how people put down the city core with nasty remarks about the homeless.
She recalled how a homeless, disabled woman came to her aid when she was being hassled by a sports car full of youth, and how "Old Whitey" shared a blanket during a cold night and how J.J. shared her company.
"One day J.J. and I saw a nicely groomed young man jogging down the street. It was Ben Affleck when he was here shooting Reindeer Games. Funny thing is he certainly wasn't worried about the downtown," she said.
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Last Updated ( Thursday, 28 August 2008 )
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