Some of you might recall my infographic I created a few months ago that showed what my walk to the office from NY Penn Station is like (click here to see). Well, I noticed that the “homeless man who sits outside Jack’s 99 cent store and calls me glasses” wasn’t around a few days ago…and I actually missed him.

It looks like he is missed by many. In place of the spot where he always camped out on the sidewalk, there is now a memorial to someone named Tyrone. I never knew his name, didn’t know his story (although often wanted to stop ask), but felt connected to him because I saw Tyrone almost every night for a year.

In the evenings, Tyrone was always in the same place on 31st street between 6th and 7th Avenues, but he never asked for money. He sat in the corner of this little nook next to Jack’s, sometimes on the windowsill of the store, other times on a blanket on the ground. Once another homeless man took his spot, and Tyrone made his night hell!

Every night, you could hear him from afar, (angrily) yelling random ramblings at no one or everyone. Around Christmas time, frustrated Tyrone even wore a Santa hat! One night, an older man interrupt Tyrone’s rants. Tyrone recognized the man, and snapped out of his bad mood. He stood up and all of a sudden started speaking normally to the man, as if all of this was an act.

Two messages on the memorial say, “No one should die as you did!” and “Thank you for the good laughs!” I think the employees of Jack’s knew Tyrone well and put this up for him. The messages say it all. Thanks, Tyrone, for making my commute to work a little more eventful. Rest in peace.