Thursday, March 17, 2011

A death

Yesterday we discovered that one of our residents at CityWalk had passed away in his apartment.  He had been dead for several hours we were told. 

I won't refer to him by name so as to protect his identity.  His name is important to us.  Sadly, it was not known to nearly enough other people. 

A number of other residents missed seeing him.  They brought his absence to the attention of property management and to us.  We discovered his body upon entering his home. 

He was basically a loner. 

He was almost 67 years old. 

He lived on his Social Security income that amounted to $9,627 annually, $802 monthly.  His housing was subsidized by a housing voucher provided by the Dallas Housing Authority. 

He stood 5' 11" and weighed 140 pounds, a thin, wisp of a fellow. 

Pleasant.  Minded his own business. 

I wish we had done a better job of knowing him. 

He died in his own home, not on some side street or behind some building downtown.   For that we are grateful. 

But, his life is a loss.  His life mattered. 

I just wish I had really known him. 

His friends in the building grieved.  That's what communities do. 

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In the big picture, his life mattered... but obviously not to him. Someone I came across who lives in that building says he was an individual who could barely walk... but slung himself over the store counter to buy 40 ounce cans of beer, barely able to stand up.

Seems like he was a alcoholic with a comfortable roof over his head.