Honoring Solomon Anyuon: Funeral and Burial Support

We are asking for people to help provide funds for a funeral and burial for Solomon Anyuon. Solomon died on October 9, 2024 after suffering a cerebral brain hemorrhage at age 50. He had limited resources and only one relative living in the US. Any excess funds will go to his family in South Sudan and Uganda who are still struggling for the basics of life. A funeral is planned for the end of October or early November.

Solomon was one of the "Lost Boys" of Sudan who fled his village at age 14 along with other young boys due to marauding militias in his area. Over the next 4 years he wandered into Ethiopia and back again seeking a place of safety and stability. Eventually, he reached a refugee camp in northern Kenya where he lived for the next 11 years, a long with almost 1 million others. By chance he found himself on a plane in 2001 bound for Rochester NY.

He worked for 17 years at Strong Hospital as an environmental cleaner, while gradually suffering a number of health issues including the loss of much of his eyesight and a debilitating stroke. More recently he worked at a nursing home on Rochester's North side. He became a regular visitor to the gardens on Reservoir Ave helping people with their gardening needs in his extra time.

Solomon was a member of St Anne Church and deeply connected to the South Sudanese community in Rochester but especially to his family back in Africa. After the death of his mother and remaining brother last year, he provided financial support and leadership to his extended family. He has a cousin studying civil engineering at the University of Calgary due to Solomon's sponsorship and financial support.

Solomon suffered great trauma in the first part of his life and then had to navigate the huge shock of new cultures and different worldviews that most of us would not have survived. He was a fully grounded person who never forgot who he was or his connection to the earth, his God, or his family and clan. He lived and died with quiet dignity. Those who knew him will miss him greatly.