Mango Memorial Expenses - William “Mike” Howard
Donation protected
William Michael Howard "Mango" 04/03/1954-12/12/2018
This evening our friend Mango passed away. Mango had been homeless on the streets of Jacksonville Beach, Fl. since 1989. He was an Army Veteran of 10 years. He worked odd jobs and had no criminal history. He was not a drug abuser, simply someone who was a victim of life and eventually resigned himself to living on the streets. We worked tirelessly to get Mango off the streets beginning in Feb 2018. After navigating the system for three months we finally secured housing in May, within weeks he suffered his first stroke. In early September Mango suffered a second stroke, then went to a long term nursing facility under Hospice Care. Mango had daily visitors at the nursing home, the community came together to show him how much we all cared. He was sassy and known for his colorful language, an incredibly intelligent man who shared so many stories...... he will not be forgotten.
He was nicknamed Mango as he had slept on the back porch of Mangos (the bar) for years. He was a friend to so many and so knowledgable about life at the beach.
Although he is entitled to being buried at the National Cemetery we still need to cover the costs of cremation as well as an informal memorial service for those who befriended him to pay their respects. We will not let him go to a paupers grave. Please consider a donation of any amount so we can give our friend a veteran a proper send off. We will post memorial information as we make arrangements. Any extra monies raised will go directly to helping other homeless veterans and elderly living on the streets locally.
Rest easy friend....... we love you!
www.facebook.com/simplybecauseinc
This evening our friend Mango passed away. Mango had been homeless on the streets of Jacksonville Beach, Fl. since 1989. He was an Army Veteran of 10 years. He worked odd jobs and had no criminal history. He was not a drug abuser, simply someone who was a victim of life and eventually resigned himself to living on the streets. We worked tirelessly to get Mango off the streets beginning in Feb 2018. After navigating the system for three months we finally secured housing in May, within weeks he suffered his first stroke. In early September Mango suffered a second stroke, then went to a long term nursing facility under Hospice Care. Mango had daily visitors at the nursing home, the community came together to show him how much we all cared. He was sassy and known for his colorful language, an incredibly intelligent man who shared so many stories...... he will not be forgotten.
He was nicknamed Mango as he had slept on the back porch of Mangos (the bar) for years. He was a friend to so many and so knowledgable about life at the beach.
Although he is entitled to being buried at the National Cemetery we still need to cover the costs of cremation as well as an informal memorial service for those who befriended him to pay their respects. We will not let him go to a paupers grave. Please consider a donation of any amount so we can give our friend a veteran a proper send off. We will post memorial information as we make arrangements. Any extra monies raised will go directly to helping other homeless veterans and elderly living on the streets locally.
Rest easy friend....... we love you!
www.facebook.com/simplybecauseinc
Organizer
Tammy McGee
Organizer
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL
