Most people will remember Tom Sawyer as that kind soul who sold flowers in Yaletown.
On March 7, the 55-year-old was found dead in an alley behind Richards Street. Police say he died of blunt force injuries, but they have little evidence of what happened that night.
Friends gathered Wednesday to remember Tom, a man who was born in Toronto and grew up to be an adventurer.
"He was warm, friendly, genuine, empathic," homelessness advocate Judy Graves told CTV News. "Loved animals, loved flowers, loved people."
He was a man with a strong sense of social justice, too.
"He took care of people. He was generous with his time," family friend Bob Imhoff said.
Tom loved to travel. He moved to Mexico, where he opened a bakery and a restaurant.
He got married and had a son.
But something traumatized him -- an event that only a few people know about, and won't talk about.
It was so painful that Tom moved to Vancouver, and chose to live on the street.
He didn't collect welfare, and he wasn't an addict. Tom made his money selling flowers.
"He couldn't go inside. Living inside triggered old memories," Graves said.
Vancouver police said Wednesday that they have no updates on the investigation into Tom's death.
Police have released video footage of the night of Tom's death in the hopes that it will trigger witnesses' memories.
The videos show Tom walking into the alley behind 928 Richards Street holding a bunch of flowers at around 1:15 a.m. Just over a minute later, a small sports utility vehicle goes by and pulls west onto Smithe Street. Two men are seen entering the alley about a minute-and-a-half later. They exit after approximately 40 seconds.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's St. John Alexander
