January 18, 2014
Our dear friend Barry LeBlanc, a.k.a. Juggles, died Saturday, January 18, 2014, in the small hours of the morning on the 16th Street sidewalk behind A&G Mercantile. His passing has left an empty space in our lives. All of us are kind of wandering the block, making sure we've all heard the news.
Barry lived for about 30 years on the sidewalks of these few blocks �" 16th and 17th, Market, Noe and Sanchez. He was a gentle soul, a man you would want to call friend. I have known him the whole time I have lived on my block. Barry was an artist and kept abreast of the daily news �" he was always the one to inform me of the headlines.
Many years ago �" 12 or 15 �" Barry disappeared for nine months. We thought he was dead and set up a memorial at Sanchez and Market, but he showed back up. Been in the hospital. This time he's gone for real. The memorial on 16th Street off Market has some of his drawings, his favorite Peet's coffee �" with six, eight, or maybe 10 sugars �" the girls at Peet's always said, "Don't put that much sugar in his coffee, it will kill him!" But it wasn't the sugar �" flowers (for everyone to take one) and the "Barry Special" chicken roll from Dinosaurs.
Many neighbors and old friends came by the last two days as Barry was dying. Many of them called the ambulance and homeless outreach �" when the vans came by, Barry said he didn't need help, he wanted to stay on his sidewalk. He suffered, both over the years and those last days, but he was stubborn and he had it his way.
, are you there yet? We miss you.
[Vince Blaskovich, who wrote this obituary, said that Mr. LeBlanc would not let anyone take his picture. The image used here is a drawing he did of himself as Buddha. Mr. LeBlanc also did not like anyone to pin him down about dates and facts �" his friends think he was born about 1961, the date he told most people. More information is available at http://wtf.pdquin.com/files/BarryDies.php.]