On October 27th, Thomas Myron Hooker, a homeless Richmond District local and popular community member, passed away. Hooker, who lived on the streets of the Richmond for more than 20 years, is believed to have died in his sleep. 

Tonight, Star of the Sea Church (4420 Geary Blvd.) is hosting a memorial service for Hooker, a native of Trinidad who made camp near its building for many years. In recent years, he was often seen strolling between Walgreens and the Internet Archive during the day, and making camp at Clement Street and Funston Avenue in the evening. 

"Thomas was known in the Richmond District for his cheer and glowing smile," the funeral announcement reads. Lea Grey Dimond, owner of Clement Street's Thidwick Books, told the Richmond District Blog that Hooker "never asked for anything" and had a cheerful, optimistic attitude.

Dimond and many other Richmond locals gave Hooker food and attempted to assist him by purchasing sleeping bags and tents for him, but he didn't care for enclosed spaces, preferring the open air.

Hooker appeared in the 2015 documentary Voices, about three people struggling with severe mental illness. The documentary described him as "living on the street, but a beloved member of his community."

On its Facebook page, the documentary's makers paid tribute to Hooker. "Thomas exemplifies why every story is important, including those of people living with schizophrenia, and why we need to continue to push ourselves and our community leaders to improve our behavioral health systems and services."

According to Star of the Sea, Hooker's body was found by Arnold and Jean Low, a local couple who had been bringing him food every day for close to 20 years. In lieu of flowers, the church is encouraging memorial attendees to instead bring non-perishable food donations for the church's Outreach For The Homeless program, including pasta noodles, tomato sauce, dry cheese, rice, beans, canned soups, canned sweet corn, cooking oil, ramen, Vienna sausages, and dried fruit. Attendees can also make a donation to the program. 

Martin Ford, spokesperson for Star of the Sea, said that the church has a number of programs for helping the homeless, including monthly parish drives for local shelters. But it will offer food and assistance to anyone who shows up at the door. 

"If we have any kind of beggars at our door, we stop what we're doing and we make them a meal," Ford said. "Sometimes it's a peanut butter and jelly, and sometimes it's something more fancy. We usually have about five people a day."

As for Hooker's final resting place, Dimond told the Richmond District Blog that she spoke with the Medical Examiner's office, which told her that the city will pay to cremate Hooker and scatter his ashes at sea. "He would love that," she said. "He loved the ocean and being outside."