GREENFIELD — Inside the circle, one-by-one, they slowly walked into the center to light a candle as a memorial, saying the name or cause of the death, as the sun set and end-of-day sounds echoed outside.
There was the sound of the crosswalk signal turning for people to cross, a squeaky car chugging up Bank Row, a photographer’s snaps and clicks, a few homeless people who had gathered on the Common chatting while having a homemade hot chocolate provided by the Interfaith Council.
Back inside the circle, as the pink clouds started to give way to the cool night, the couple dozen people gathered on the Greenfield Common for the community memorial service Wednesday continued to recite names lost or struggling to stay.
“What was the name?” Interfaith Council Franklin County President Kate Stevens said.
“Patsy. Patsy West, I think,” Patricia Culver offered. “I don’t really remember her last name. She was my friend and she died recently.”
Culver met Patsy about three years ago. “We were at Trinity Church,” she said after the memorial. “She asked if anybody had a blanket.” The woman had been sleeping in the laundromat on Main Street in Greenfield. They became good friends, but a year ago Culver lost touch with her.
Recently, Culver found out about her friend Patsy. “She was out in a nursing home in Worcester,” she said. “She died.” Culver said she was 58 at the time. After she finished talking about her friend, Culver walked to the trailer she’s living in now, although she knows homelessness may again be in the near future for her, too.
The memorial has been going on for the 15 years or so, but this is the first time it has been held in the early winter. This year they also chose to broaden the memorial to not only include the homeless who have died this year, possibly without anyone to remember their life, but also any community member whose life can use more uplifting.
And so, they continued to light candles in honor of those who had died this past year, while standing on the Common where the homeless had lived in the spotlight this past summer.
“He who died by suicide,” one said.
“Adam,” another person said,” who struggled quite a while with addiction and lost his battle.”
“Joyce Stole,” another reflected. She died in November and had a roof over her head, “but not a loving community around her. She was a beautiful, strong, fierce advocate for the homeless.”
“I’m lighting two candles for two friends,” another said. “Neither one has died, but they’re struggling to keep their spirit up.”
The flow of names ran out and a silence filled the Common before a final thought.
“In peace,” Stevens said, lifting her candle. Everyone else lifted their candle, now with the sun all but set, before singing one last song in harmony. “Stay with your community. We need you, amen.”
You can reach Joshua Solomon at:
jsolomon@recorder.com
413-772-0261, ext. 264