Dozens of people stood in the pouring rain at a busy Saanich intersection Thursday at noon to remember Peter Verin.
The popular homeless man died at Royal Jubilee Hospital on Jan. 9 after a brief illness. He was 71.
“Peter was a member of our community. He was well-loved and well-respected,” said Rev. Al Tysick from the Dandelion Society, who led the memorial service.
Verin spent more than 10 years in the Quadra Street and McKenzie Avenue area, collecting bottles and recyclables in shopping carts, hanging out and sleeping under covered parking at Saanich Centre and along the Galloping Goose Trail.
Prior to that, he had been a famous fixture at the University of Victoria since 1970. He salvaged textbooks and magazines from garbage bins and became known as the resident philosopher king for his vast knowledge and long chats.
The diverse crowd at the memorial showed the cross-section of lives Verin touched. A retired UVic vice-president, students, librarians, Saanich police officers, paramedics, baristas, grocery clerks, city workers, politicians, hairdressers and several homeless people were among those who gathered.
Several paid tribute to Verin and said they admired what he called a “free-spirit” lifestyle of living outdoors and working to salvage and recycle items others carelessly threw away.
“He had a knowledge I never expected. I was the librarian but he was answering the questions,” said Delia Filipescu, who works at the Nellie McClung branch, where Verin came almost every evening to use the computers, read magazines and listen to podcasts. She and her colleagues set up a small memorial at the branch with a photo and book to share memories.
“He gave me a different perspective of people living on the streets. Wherever you are Peter, we are missing you,” she said.
Jess Lundin, 21, shared how Verin helped her when she was a homeless teenager struggling with addiction.
“Me and him had a deal. If I stayed sober in that moment, he would tell me a story. I was like OK. It kept me going because someone actually cared enough to want me to be sober,” said Lundin, who credited Verin with helping her get clean and off the streets. “He helped keep me safe while I was on the streets. He helped keep me sober. I loved listening to his stories, even if they were more rants sometimes. I will always be grateful for him.”
Chris Pearce said he and his late-wife knew Verin for more than 40 years. They’d visit regularly and had a standing Dairy Queen date every Jan. 10, a birthday he and Verin shared.
“I had the utmost respect for your keen intellect, incredible stoicism and tenacity, sense of humour and above all strength and courage,” said Pearce in a tribute to Verin, noting he was comforted that Verin died in a warm hospital bed and not the cold hard ground. Many at the event nodded in agreement.
Pearce said when Verin left Montreal in his 20s, he stopped contacting his family. So, Pearce’s wife would call Verin’s mother to let her know how her son was doing.
“She was overjoyed,” Pearce said, noting that Verin’s mother sent her son $500 a month for nearly 40 years before she died. For the past several years, Pearce continued to update Verin’s sister in Montreal.
Tysick said he’s also been in touch with the family and will send Verin’s ashes to his sister. He passed around a shopping cart of stuff at the memorial in memory of Verin and gave out handmade stained glass hearts as mementos.
Tysick shared a few words from Verin himself on the subject of death.
“Death is peaceful. It’s the transition that bothers me,” Verin once told Tysick.
He also said, “Billions of years have passed before I was born and I was born out of stardust. Therefore I have no fear of death. When you look up to the stars I will be shining down on you.”
A group of women from the B-Sharp Hair Salon, who saw Verin everyday, passed around a bucket to raise funds for a memorial bench and plaque for him. They raised $900 on the spot and hope to raise more. To donate, email doreenlowres@shaw.ca
