During his life, Jerry Pryor could often be seen around Lakewood Village pulling a wagon loaded with his earthly possessions and the tools he used as a self-appointed neighborhood cleaner-upper.
On Saturday, when friends gathered to mark Pryor’s recent passing , they filled his now-idle wagon with flowers.
Born in Long Beach in 1945, Pryor spent more than two decades living on the city’s streets, attracting friends and admirers with his quiet kindness and the work ethic that drove him to sweep, pick up trash and prune the bushes in the neighborhood where he lived. Pryor died Jan. 17 at age 78.
A crowd of about 40 people who had known Pryor, including several who moved mountains to get him medical care and a bed in an assisted living facility for his final years, honored their friend at a memorial Saturday at Lakewood Village Community Church.
Pryor was stubborn and wanted to do things his own way, said his nephew, Daniel Pryor – loved ones and even acquaintances offered to put a roof over his head, but not wanting to impose, he either turned them down or didn’t stay long.