When she died in front of the Joel D. Valdez Main Library in August, Carolyn Strong was living on the streets, battling alcoholism and trying her best to survive.
Strong, in her late 40s when she succumbed to heart problems, was among 188 people who died in Pima County's streets, deserts and washes or in poverty from Nov. 1, 2005 to Oct. 31, 2006.
The dead were remembered at an annual memorial service for the homeless in Tucson on Thursday afternoon. They included 34 Jane and John Does and 37 people for whom officials could find no next-of-kin.
The service was held at the county's grave site for indigents, a dirt field behind a hedge at the back of Evergreen Cemetery, 3015 N. Oracle Road. It was among 85 such memorials nationwide, according to the National Health Care for the Homeless Council.
"This really does remind us of what we've forgotten as a society, as a community," said U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva, D-Ariz, who spoke to about 100 at the local service.
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"We have forgotten to take care of our own citizens," said Sammy Jones, a caseworker at a men's shelter operated by the Primavera Foundation, which provides services for the homeless and impoverished.
On Thursday, Jones paid tribute to Carl Wilkerson, a 56-year-old homeless man who died of heart failure in November. He was unemployed and staying at the shelter at the time of his death.
"He ran out of money and he couldn't find a job," Jones said. "He'd been really trying but because of his age and his health problems, he couldn't do too much of anything. He did a lot of volunteer work for us."
Shelter workers could not find any of Wilkerson's relatives when he died. Instead of a funeral, Primavera workers honored him at a small tribute held at the shelter.
"These are human beings, they are people who were once held by their mothers, who often have siblings, children and grandchildren," said Diana Robledo, an operations supervisor at Primavera whose father, Carlos G. Figueroa, 52, died homeless three years ago after he was beaten and left for dead behind an auto parts store on South Sixth Avenue near East 22nd Street.
"My father was an alcoholic and it got the best of him," she said.
Robledo and others at the service urged people to pay more attention to those in the community who are suffering from poverty and homelessness. Primavera officials say that on any given night at least 4,300 people in the Tucson area are homeless — twice the number of local shelter beds.
"We have no right to judge them. I urge you to look at their souls, stand up for them. Don't just turn away," Robledo said.
On Thursday, Robledo also memorialized Carolyn Strong, whom she knew through her work at Primavera.
"She was a good person and she really did want to clean up. But she was overwhelmed by life and the problems life brings with it," Robledo said. "I remember she struggled. She really struggled."
"This really does remind us of what we've forgotten as a society, as a community."
Raúl Grijalva, U.S. representative, D-Ariz.