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SCHENECTADY
Homeless man dies quietly, alone in vacant building
BY MICHAEL LAMENDOLA Gazette Reporter

William “Bob” Pearce lived as a quiet man who tried never to bother anyone, even when the cold was so fierce it froze off his toes, friends said. Pearce, a homeless alcoholic, also died quietly. Police found his body Tuesday afternoon inside a vacant building he used as a temporary shelter. The cause of death is unknown, but police said they do not consider it suspicious. The results of an autopsy, conducted Thursday, were not available.
    Pearce, 56, often slept inside the building at 758 1 /2 State St., said Margaret Anderton, executive director of the Bethesda House, which provides services to homeless people. Anderton knew Pearce for four years and tried to help him with his addiction.
    Schenectady police spokesman Lt. Brian Kilcullen said officers went to the State Street building after receiving a call at 1:55 p.m. on Tuesday.
    “Apparently an individual acquainted with Pearce advised someone in charge of Bethesda House they had been squatting at the location. She was concerned for his welfare. We responded and found him in the building dead,” Kilcullen said.
    Anderton said she called police Tuesday to check on Pearce. A couple of his friends, both with disabilities, checked on him Monday night, finding him dead. “They found him and they were frightened. They came to us the next day and had us call police,” she said. Bethesda House was not open Monday night.
    City Mission Executive Director Michael Saccocio said Pearce did not try to seek shelter at his facility Monday night.
    “We have checked our records and it is not the case. He left here on his own accord Jan. 9,” Saccocio said.
    He said his staff liked Pearce, because of his kindness, and would have assisted him if he requested it: “Our staff took him in as a friend.”
    City Mission does not allow people intoxicated or under the infl uence to stay there, Saccocio said. “If someone is intoxicated we call an ambulance,” he said. But, City Mission did not call an ambulance for Pearce on Monday because he was not there, he said.
    Anderton said the nearest shelter that will let in anyone who is inebriated or under the influence is in Albany.
    Anderton said that on any given night, 25 people have to sleep on the streets because they can’t fi nd shelter. She said Bethesda runs a 10-bed facility called “the Light House.” Light House is for people with chronic homelessness and a debilitating condition. It is full, but Pearce was on the list for the next placement, Anderton said.
    City Mission has 28 beds for men. The Salvation Army operates a 17-bed shelter for women, and the Schenectady YWCA operates a domestic violence shelter. The county Department of Social Services will place families and individuals in motels as necessary. On particularly cold or stormy nights, shelters put mats on their floors to house extra people.
    Anderton said Schenectady needs more shelters that accept people without restrictions. Bethesda plans to build a second “Light House” with 16 studio apartments under its new housing plan. The program will provide case managers and lifeskill counselors to help the people get back on their feet.
    Anderton said the last homeless person to die on the streets was about two years ago. He was a young man in his 20s, a severe alcoholic.
    Anderton said the first time she met Pearce he was sitting on a stool inside Bethesda House and was quietly crying. “He indicated his feet really hurt. He was wearing boots, they were wet and it was wintertime,” Anderton said.
    When they took off his boots, they found that his toes had severe frostbite — he was living on the streets at the time. “We got him into a hospital, and they amputated his toes.”
    Pearce would often return to Bethesda House for a meal, but “he never really asked for anything. He was a wonderful man, quiet and gentle,” she said. He made money by collecting cans and bottles.
    Anderton did not know much about Pearce’s background, other than that he came to Schenectady from Binghamton about 10 years ago. He was a butcher by trade but worked odd jobs.
    Anderton said she knew he was married and divorced. She did not know his former wife’s name or whether he had children or family nearby. “He thought of us as family,” she said.
    The last time she saw Pearce alive was last week. She will see him again Monday when he is buried in Vale Cemetery. The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
    Pearce will be buried in the socalled indigent lot, paid for by the county. Anderton has buried 30 other homeless people there since her arrival at Bethesda House 10 1 /2 years ago.
    There will be no marker — at least not yet — over Pearce’s grave. Anderton is trying to raise $700 to put up a headstone. If she gets one, she will engrave it with a simple message: Here lies a gentle and kind man.
    “It is important to us that people have dignity in life and in death,” she said.