The man died in Keene on a fall day in a tent set up near a bike path.
That’s all the people gathered on the City Plaza, candles in hand, knew about his identity.
There hadn’t been news from police, or any reports in the local media since November, when those working to support people experiencing homelessness in the state learned of his passing, the Rev. Jon Hopkins of Concordia Lutheran Church, Families In Transition case managers Tim DeVincenzo and Carol Lizotte and others told the crowd.
“How sad that a human life can be erased without any kind of tribute,” they read, from sheets of paper where lists of names were printed.
The unknown man was one of 64 individuals who was honored in front of the City Plaza on Thursday night. He was the only who activists were not able to identify.
Every year, a group of representatives from faith organizations and those who work in other agencies that help the homeless, strive to identify as many people experiencing homelessness in the community who lost their lives that year as possible. They write descriptions for people lost based on stories and memories from those who knew them. They light candles, play music and read poetry.
The event is about paying tribute to those in the community who are often forgotten or overlooked. It’s also for the people who knew and loved those people. For some, this is the funeral and closure they never got for their loved one, organizers said.
The number of those lost in the state grew this year from 2018 when 58 people who struggled with homelessness died in New Hampshire. In the past year in the city of Concord alone, at least seven individuals who were currently or formerly homeless have died.
One was Amber Pelletier, a mother, who people gathered Thursday remembered as someone would was always willing to help another person in need. Another was Michael Barnes, a father and a man whose personality could light up a room.
Bob Caplette was a loving husband who volunteered at the Concord Coalition to End Homelessness to help others, even as he was in need himself. William “Benny” Jenkins, who had a down-to-earth personality, was also known for lending a hand to others.
Many of those honored were known for helping other people who were suffering, even as they were in need and suffering themselves.
Others lost from Concord were Laura Fortin, described as a mother and devoted caregiver. Jessica Taylor was a kind soul with a contagious smile.
Rabbi Robin Nafshi of Temple Beth Jacob said that the group of people, standing outside on a bitter cold night, were sending an important message.
“Light in this dark time of the year, must be the example,” she said. “We must be the light, we must ask those to follow us, to take care of all in our society who are in need.”