Neighbors Crowdfund For Survivor Of Bernal Heights Carbon Monoxide Leak

Neighbors Crowdfund For Survivor Of Bernal Heights Carbon Monoxide LeakFran Maffeo and Even Lammers. | Photo: Bernalwood
Todd Lappin
Published on December 14, 2017

A week after a carbon monoxide leak sickened five people in Bernal Heights and claimed the life of retired police officer Even Lammers, 78, neighbors have launched a crowdfunding campaign to assist Fran Maffeo, Lammers' surviving partner.

Deborah, who used to live next door to Lammers and Maffeo in their Moultrie Street home, described Maffeo as "a senior neighbor of ours with limited resources and no surviving family."

The effort, which has garnered $4,150 so far out of a $20,000 goal, is raising money "to pay for a simple service for Even and to ensure that Fran has a safe home to live in for her last years," said Deborah.

According to the GoFundMe page, Lammers was born in Norway and emigrated to the US more than 50 years ago. After serving as a Merchant Marine and a officer of the San Francisco Police Department, "he lived a simple life in Bernal Heights with his partner of 40 years."

We reached out to the San Francisco Police Officer's Association to find out whether Maffeo qualifies for any benefits Lammers may have received as a former member of the force. According to a representative, if the pair registered as domestic partners, she would be eligible.

A search of the San Francisco Chronicle's archives suggests he still found ways to serve the community after retiring from the force—in December 2001, Lammers helped return a child to his parents after the SUV the boy had been sleeping in was stolen from the family's Bernal Heights driveway.

After waking up on the 900 block of Eugenia Avenue around 10am the following morning, the boy began pressing the vehicle's horn.

When Lammers approached to investigate, 6-year-old Okorie Scarbor explained that he was "waiting for his mother," and the retired policeman called 911.