Friends of Homeless Man Grieve His Death

SAN ANGELO, TX — The body of the homeless man who was known as Andy who died Sunday morning will be laid to rest in Fairmount Cemetery, according to friends. He was 62.

Friends describe him as a gentle, soft-spoken man who had a knack for making friends wherever he went. His hang outs during the last part of his life were the Shell convenience store, the Burger King and the City Hall Annex located between the Bryants at W. Beauregard in San Angelo. For some employees at the convenience store and at the Burger King, he left a lasting impression.

Friends who did not want to be identified said Andy did not allow his homeless situation define him. One friend told me how she helped him fill out and file government paperwork for his Social Security.

“That’s how I knew his age,” she said.

No one knows the exact details of why Andy made a decision to stay outdoors overnight when the temperatures dipped to 11 degrees F overnight. One friend explained that she had allowed him to sleep on her couch several times in the past. She said she didn’t know of his whereabouts Saturday when she could have helped again.

His real name was Anthony James McCarthy. He had a history of frequent arrests inside San Angelo since 1979 for DWI, public intoxication, criminal trespassing, and failure to appear in court. His final arrest was in July 2023 for disorderly conduct, soliciting or loitering in a median, indecent exposure, and failure to appear for his two court dates. Despite all of the arrests over about 44 years, Andy only went to prison once — he was sentenced to two years for a state jail felony in 1999 after pleading guilty to “attempted retaliation.” Apparently, a woman he knew on San Antonio Street had called the police because he showed up there. Andy threatened to kick the woman for calling the cops.

“When defendant was arrested by officers he attempted to kick [the woman] and said, ‘I'm going to jail because of you!’ Officers believed the threat of bodily injury was in retaliation for [the woman’s] reporting of [Andy’s] criminal trespass,” court documents stated. The prosecutor was an assistant DA for the 119th named Allison Williams.

Andy’s long arrest record points to a life of alcohol abuse and apparent homelessness.

His most recent friends lament about the problem of homelessness. One of Andy’s friends asked, “Why can’t city officials put an end to it?”

I looked at Andy’s criminal record not to shame the deceased, but to explain one of the reasons — perhaps the primary reason — that homelessness is very difficult to “fix.” Fixing homelessness, at least in this situation, likely required first a solution to alcohol addiction. We haven’t found one.

Regardless of the circumstances of Andy’s death, his friends said they will hold on to the simple moments of camaraderie and kindness Andy shared. May he find the peace he deserves, and may his death and the memory of him inspire compassion for others who are still alive and facing similar struggles.

Rest in peace, Andy. Those who knew you said you will be remembered fondly.