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Julio Delgado, 1930—2006
Julio’s Leaf is located at Compass Center. If you have photos or memories of Julio, please post a comment.
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Karen Norcross, 1952—2010
Remembering Karen Norcross by Amy Roe, Editor from Real Change November 24, 2010 Longtime Real Change vendor Karen Norcross passed away recently, of complications related to heart disease. She was 58. Her death took many by surprise. “It was stunning,” said her caregiver, Fedumo Abdi. “She still had life in her.” Karen’s outgoing nature made her a natural vendor. “She liked being out and meeting people and seeing all her repeat customers and getting a chance to get to know them,” said her son, Jason Norcross. Selling Real Change gave her a sense of pride and the opportunity to connect with people. “She would tell me about their lives as…
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Linda Spafford, 1952—2009
From Real Change November 29, 2009 Queen Anne vendor dies Real Change vendor Linda Spafford passed away on Wed., Nov. 4. Spafford, who sold the paper outside the Metropolitan Market in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood, died of a heart attack. Spafford, whose maiden name was Linda J. Funston, moved with her family from North Dakota to Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood when she was 14. She and her two kids were kicked out of their apartment in the mid-1990s after she sued her landlord for faulty maintenance. She stayed in Belltown homeless shelters for about a year, then moved into public housing and in 1999 began selling Real Change to make…
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40 Leaves of Remembrance for Pioneer Square
40 Leaves of Remembrance are being laid in Pioneer Square this week, and will be dedicated on Wednesday, October 10th. Beginning at noon, 15 Leaves will be dedicated at Compass Center (65 South Washington Street), 10 Leaves at Real Change (96 South Main Street) at approximately 12:20 pm, and 15 Leaves at DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center, 517 3rd Avenue) at 12:40 pm. At 1 pm we will celebrate in the Morrison Community Room, 509 3rd Avenue.
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Real Change News (96 South Main St.)
Leaves placed on August 30, 2024: David Rice 1954–2019 Evie Lovett 1972—2020 Daniel Long 1980—2020 Ole Sorensen 1965—2022 Manny Salazar 1966–2023 David “Canada” Jones 1960—2024 Mikey Henderson 1958—2021 Jamie Tilton 1967–2019 Jimmie Wade III 1965—2024 David Dunn 1958—2023 Blas Andrés Felix 1978—2022 Glenn Coles 1961-2023 Greg Cummins 1960—2024 Art Ermeloff III 1960—2023 Melissa Gross 1971–2023 Leaves placed on August 30, 2013: Reginald Lee “Reggie” Thompson: 1953—2013 Leaves placed on October 2012: Fred Spruitenberg: 1949—2010 Michael Garcia: 1960—2009 Catherine O’Neale: 1949—2012 Paul Von Kempf: 1944—2006 Linda Spafford: 1952—2009 Timothy “TJ” Shorter: 1957—2011 Karen Norcross: 1952—2010 Earle Thompson: 1950—2006 Rhonda Endersby: 1966—2011 Karen Lee Pedersen: 1966—2011 (moved September 2014 to Ballard, beside husband…
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Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC) (517 3rd Ave.)
Leaves placed October 2012: Christine “Chris” Rafferty: 1932—2001 Rosana Koontz: 1952—2003 Sharon Fay: 1958—2012 Kristina Wahlsten: 1930—2009 Svetla Virtcheva: 1933—2012 Phil Deiro: 1929—1999 Paula Gunn: 1947—2006 Alan Dagg: 1938—2005 Ronald Williams: 1949—2011 Terry Brown: 1957—2008 Kenneth “Kenny” Kovaleski: 1958—2009 Ross Teeth Americanhorse: 1946—2009 Jane Sepulveda: 1956—2008 Kathy McNeilly: 1960—2010 Walter Backstrom: 1951—2012 Leaves Placed August 30, 2013 Geraldine “Geri” Jones: 1941—2011 James “Jimmy” Mayo: 1941—2011 Kathy McNeilly: 1960—2010 Crystal Miranda: 1978—2013 Leaves Placed August 22, 2014 Jerold Edward Aust: 1955—2011 Patrick Eugene Joseph: 1967—2014 Arthur Lee Lassiter: 1966—2013 Leaves Places June 5, 2018 Francisco “Frank” Granado: 1960—2014 Milo Locklear: 1982—2013 Pamela Brown: 1954—2016 Montie Carl Banks: 1959—2017 Iris Cloud: 1971—2016 Randall Coleman: 1953—2017 Kathy Harris: 1958—2016…
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Compass Housing Alliance (65 South Washington St.)
**SUMMER 2026: These Leaves are now re-placed with a blessing ceremony on 7/24/26! In 2024 they were temporarily removed and safeguarded due to a major SDOT street renovation on S. Washington. Leaf placed July 24, 2026: Sydney Bookstein 1963-2017 Leaves placed August 11, 2023: Bennie McCombs III 1963–2021 Leonard Tullis 1964–2021 Dale C. Ondishko 1954–1988 Jose Alirio Delgado-Rivas 1989–2022 Leaves placed January 2020: Jacob Demasters 1981–2018 Samuel Hakimian 1952–2014 Leaves placed August 22, 2014: Abel Gonzales: 1941—2013 Brandon Jeffrey Mickelson: 1982—2012 Leaves placed October 2012: Julio Delgado: 1930—2006 Edna Ruth Howell: 1955—2005 Joseph Brown: 1975—2011 Rock Hopkins: 1958—2012 Dustin Smith: 1969—2012 Mark Criden: ?—2012 Linda Ford: 1953—2011 Chico Disteffano: 1948—2010…
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Gallery: Leaves weathering over time
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How Homeless Remembrance finally made the Seattle news
We have gotten news coverage before, but never so thorough and thoughtful an article as How homeless remembrance finally found a Seattle home by Alison Sargent, published in the online news journal Crosscut on June 21, 2012.
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Community Leaf-Laying Ceremony 6-23-12 in Lake City
More than 60 people came to the Seattle Mennonite Church in Lake City on Saturday, June 23rd to dedicate fourteen Leaves of Remembrance for beloved neighbors, friends and family members. Because our permit for permanent installation had not quite been completed, we did a ceremonial laying of the Leaves. This was a powerful emotional experience, and the sense of community was profound. All fourteen names were read aloud, with a personal statement about each person. Then each of the fourteen Leaves was laid on the ground by people who felt close to that person, as the names were spoken again. Many times, Leaves were carried forward by two or more friends!
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Leaf Dedication at Seattle Mennonite Church, June 23, 2012
About 60 people gathered together on June 23, 2012 at the Seattle Mennonite Church in Lake City to remember friends and loved ones who had died. Because of the weather, we weren’t able to actually affix the leaves in the sidewalk until a few weeks later. People who knew those who were being remembered read the names and shared stories and memories about their loved one. Sally Kinney led the group in a stone blessing rite, which was a wonderful celebration of the lives of 14 people.
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New Homeless Remembrance Project Website
See much more of the Tree of Life and the history and development of the Homeless Remembrance Project at our brand new project website, homelessremembrance.org.
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Annette Anderson, 1972—2008
Annette’s leaf is placed at Angeline’s. If you have memories or photos of Annette, please post a comment.
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Dolores Beamon, 1949—2004
In Memory: Dolores Beamon by Cynthia Lee Ozimek Originally published in Real Change On Monday, January 5 [2004], at 6:30 a.m., the body of longtime Hammond House shelter resident Dolores Beamon was found in a Seattle parking lot. While the cause of her death has yet to be determined, it has been theorized that homelessness, poor health and the snowstorm that had brought the city to a virtual standstill all contributed to her sad and unexpected demise. Fifty-four years old at the time of her passing, Beamon was born and raised in the Seattle area and is survived by her mother, her siblings, and many nieces and nephews. Dolores had…
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Seattle Mennonite Church (3120 NE 125th St.)
Leaves placed on June 23, 2012 Karen Marie Boyle: 1962—2007 Philip Carrasco: 1953—2009 Walter Connelly: 1956—2011 Paul Dale: 1955—2008 Tim Downes: ?—2009 Lance Hayes: 1953—2011 Ralph “Red” Homann: 1942—2008 Jeffrey Inman: 1956—2012 Randy Leonard: 1958—2010 Ronald “Pops” Nichols: 1949—2009 Kevin Pellow: 1969—2009 Charles Reighn: ?—2008 Mark Slye: 1966—2011 Eva Washington: 1932—2011 Leaves placed on August 16, 2013 Kim Reister-Toburen: 1959—2012 John Carsten Plate, Jr.: 1948—2012 Arleta May Burbach: 1929—2012 Martha Louise Weiss: 1968—2012 Andrew Schneider: 1956—2012 Billi Jean Paulsen: 1964—2013 Douglas Ramm: 1967—2013 Leaves placed on August 8, 2014: Roger Allen Fitzpatrick: 1946—2014 Jim Hall: 1959—2014 Ivy Helm: 1975—2013 Raymond LaCasse: 1965—2013 Dale Ellingsen: 1965—2013 Leaves placed on June 26, 2015: Laura Ann Barringer: 1954—2015 Margo Stenson: 1969—2014 Leaves placed on July 29, 2016: Robert Shand: 1948—2016 Steve Pond: 1951—2016 Scott Trezise: 1970—2016 Eugene Menard: 1967—2016 Check out the Seattle Mennonite Church website…
