My Heart Is Broken – Please Help Me Give Jeff the Dignity He Deserves

Friends, family, and anyone who knew or was touched by Jeff Raymond – I’m reaching out with the heaviest heart I’ve ever carried.

Jeff, my next of kin, my chosen family, and my BEST FRIEND for 21 years, passed away unexpectedly on December 22, 2025. In the painful weeks since, so many of you have reached out with incredible kindness—sharing heartfelt stories of Jeff’s remarkable humor, his resilience, the way he lit up a room even on tough days, or how he touched your lives in small but meaningful ways. Your loving prayers, comforting messages, memories, and words of support have been a lifeline, reminding me that Jeff’s spirit lives on in all of us who loved him. Thank you from the depths of my soul for holding space for our grief and for honoring him with such genuine warmth.

March 15 is my birthday, but this year, all I want – all I need – is to bring him home and give him the peaceful, proper farewell he so deeply deserves. Instead, more than two months later, I’m still grieving without closure, trapped in a heartbreaking nightmare of red tape and denial from the City of New York.

Jeff and I built a life together as an interdependent friendship, family really. We shared our home in Nolita since 2010. For the last 11 years, I was his full-time caretaker as his health declined—he couldn’t easily leave the apartment he’d lived in since the 1980s. I was his durable power of attorney, his health care proxy, “world class chef,” his medication manager, his link to the world, and above all, his loyal, loving brother. We were each other’s guiding light. Jeff had no surviving blood relatives—his parents passed long ago, and he was an only child with no other family. I was his family.

But the City refuses to recognize that. They’ve blocked me from obtaining Jeff’s death certificate, stating that “your relationship does not meet the eligibility requirements” because I’m not a blood relative or legal spouse. Without it, I can’t claim his remains from the Manhattan morgue. I’ve been warned that if this isn’t resolved soon, Jeff will be buried in an unmarked communal grave—a pauper’s burial with no dignity, no headstone, no memorial. The thought of my Jeff—who moved to New York in the late 1970s seeking freedom and safety, who made this city his home for over 45 years—ending up discarded like that shatters me every single day.

I’ve fought so hard. In these agonizing weeks, I’ve contacted:

• The Chief Medical Examiner

• The Department of Health (online, in-person, and directly with Ms. Yasin, head of the DOH)

• Social Security Administration (Federal & Local)

• Multiple local organizations

Nothing has broken through the bureaucracy. That’s why I’ve had no choice but to hire a lawyer to help challenge this injustice and hopefully secure Jeff’s remains before it’s too late.

To add even more pain, I’m now possibly facing eviction proceedings in Housing Court from the apartment we shared for 16 happy years. Without Jeff’s death certificate, the management company won’t discuss succession rights. I’m at risk of losing the home where we built our life together—on top of losing him.

This GoFundMe will help me give Jeff the respectful, peaceful, eternal resting place he deserves.

Every dollar will go directly toward:

• Lawyer fees

• Morgue storage and release fees

• Burial/cremation costs

• Memorial expenses and related fees

• Housing Court expenses

Jeff was a kind, resilient soul who touched so many lives quietly. If you knew him, loved him, or simply believe that long-term partners and chosen families deserve recognition—especially in the city that once welcomed him with open arms—please consider helping. Even a small donation, or just sharing this post, means the world to me right now.

I’m not asking for charity. I’m pleading for help to honor the man I loved more than anything, so he can finally rest in peace.

Thank you from the bottom of my broken heart—for your kindness already shown, and for any support you can offer now.

With love and gratitude,

Glenn Hillman

If you have any questions or want to talk, message me—I’m here, even if it’s just to share more memories of Jeff.