Carlos Holguin, 1957—2005

Carlos Holguin spent much of his life in Michigan, where he was born. Three sisters and four brothers still live in Michigan. He also has a teenage son.

While he was in Michigan he was involved with everyone in the family. He baby-sat his young nieces and nephews, getting down on the floor and playing with them. He showed up for high school graduations, for his niece’s wedding in 1998, and joined in quinceañeras. (A quinceañera is the celebration of a girl’s fifteenth birthday, considered to mark the transition from childhood to young womanhood.) His niece, Luz David, said that if there was Mexican music playing, you would find him dancing. “He’d dance all night.”

1:30 am on Saturday, July 2, 2005, Carlos was found near 15th Avenue West and West Emerson Street, burned over 90 percent of his body, from what appeared to be a propane grill fire.  He died at Harborview a few hours later.  Carlos had been sleeping lately beneath the Nickerson Street overpass near Fishermen’s Terminal.

Carlos’s Leaf is placed by Ballard Commons Park.  If you have photos or memories of Carlos, please leave a comment.

 

 

Some more memories can be found on Karen Ducey’s blog, the photo column “An Extraordinary Time“; REMEMBERING CARLOS July 13, 2005.


Featured Leaf July 2014

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