The legacy of sa国际传媒 homeless advocate John Thiessen lives on through a surprise grassroots community effort now known as聽 Johnsa国际传媒 Angels.
Debra Thiessen, his wife of 36 years, coined that name after his untimely death from a heart attack on Dec. 2 at the age of 60.
鈥淲hen I put the sad news that my husband John had passed on Facebook so everybody would know, I didn鈥檛 realize there was going to be such an outpouring of support,鈥 she said in an interview on Monday.
鈥淚 knew I would have the support of friends and family. But as a community and the media, I had no idea, no idea that that was going to happen. I kind of feel like he was a celebrity and I didn鈥檛 know it.鈥
There were so many expressions of condolences that Debra and her 25-year-old son Parker spent two days on their phones, many of them from people who described his aid for the homeless as 鈥渦nbelievable.鈥
鈥淎ll these people that I didn鈥檛 know he knew. People were tell颅ing me 鈥楬e fed my son, my sonsa国际传媒 on the street,鈥 or 鈥榟esa国际传媒 helped me trying to locate my son,鈥欌 she said. Tears in her eyes? 鈥淎bso颅lutely, absolutely.鈥
鈥淥ne of the things I was worried about was whosa国际传媒 going to fill the void. I work full-time and I鈥檓 not one of those people to go out on the street and do what he was doing.鈥
The core group now has about 12 people co-ordinating through Facebook Messenger but many others participate, she said. No formal organization, just lots of kind people.
鈥淚 feel that they are 鈥楯ohnsa国际传媒 angels鈥. Some never met John but we connected because they lost a loved one or are trying to save someone they love, a dad whose son is on the street.聽Or because they simply want to help. 鈥榊ou don鈥檛 need a reason to help people鈥 was one of Johnsa国际传媒 many sayings in Facebook posts.鈥
Some jumped in even before her husband died.
鈥淕uys who are friends of my 27-year-old daughter, Katie, contacted her about two weeks before John passed and said: 鈥榃e like what he is doing,鈥 she said. 鈥淭heresa国际传媒 a group of us that would like to do the same thing and may颅be co-ordinate with him.鈥欌
Many don鈥檛 know that on the evening of Dec. 1, John and other volunteers handed out jackets, blankets and food. He died the next day.
John was motivated to help the unhoused about three years ago when they were moved to Recrea颅tion Avenue, sometimes called 鈥渢ent city.鈥
As a professional videographer, he brought awareness through his videos on Facebook and had more than 170 followers, said Debra.
鈥淛ohn struggled with his own health so much at times that he couldn鈥檛 really work but he could help from his bed, on his phone collecting donations and gathering helpers from the community. He believed you don鈥檛 need a reason to be kind,鈥 she added.
鈥淧eople often asked him what organization or church he was with and he would say 鈥楰indness is my religion.鈥欌
Not only did he suffer from heart disease but diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome and long-haul COVID; he had a broken humerus and cataract surgery days before his death. He was a young man in an old mansa国际传媒 body, the doctor told Johnsa国际传媒 son.
Donations can be made under John Thiessensa国际传媒 name at Gofund颅me.com. A private celebration of life will be held on Jan. 14 and a public celebration of life at Metro Com颅munity Church, 1265 Ellis St., at 11 a.m. on Jan. 21.
