In Memory of Bennett Tanner: A Homeless Man's Obituary

It's fitting that on the last day of the Unite For Peace Conference in Ashland, a group of people gathered on a small hill facing US Forest Service land towards the back of Lithia Park to pay respects for a local homeless man, Bennett Tanner. It is presumed that Bennett was the victim of a fire that burned up a homeless camp in the watershed sometime in December 2007. A hiker found burned remains in mid February. We are still waiting for the results of a toxicology report.

This afternoon's gathering was an attempt to come together to mourn the loss of a friend. It had been sprinkling off and on, but as we gathered the rain let up. The green hillside was full of tiny grasses, a reminder of spring, of life itself.

In the grove of trees where his life ended there were small reminders of his life; pieces of his tent, a ceramic bowl, pieces of a broken glass jar. As I stood there for a few minutes, I almost felt like I was imposing, but I wanted to verify that even though he died alone, it was in a serene place. It was.

Being homeless and dying in a fire means that there aren't a lot of physical trappings that remain of Bennett's life, but the circle of people who stood on that hillside this afternoon, reflected a lifetime of teaching. Bennett's gentle manner and sweet nature taught us all about what it means to live a peaceful life. One by one, friends told stories about Bennett and shared what they would remember most about him. In almost every reflection, the words "peaceful, gentle, sweet", were repeated. Friends played music, laughed at some funny tales that revealed how smart he was and paid our respect to a comedienne who left an imprint in our community. We listened to part of a radio show that featured one of Bennett's comedy routines. He called himself a "professional optimist".

Bennett lived in the outskirts of a community that values material wealth and in the eyes of much of Ashland he was "the homeless guy with the sock puppets".

After gathering in a circle on a hillside with many other people who cared about Bennett Tanner, I can say that it turns out that he was quite wealthy in the ways that really matter, in friendship and love.