LEAVE IT TO BEAVER ACTOR BURIED IN PORTLAND

He lived a life of loneliness and trauma. 

Comments

[Joel]

Fafara was a convicted burglar, a heroin addict, and a drug dealer. Hardly the kind of guy you'd want in your family.

He'd come to Portland seven years before his died from the complications of a hernia surgery. He had been friendly with Paul Revere and the Raiders and you have to wonder if that had anything with his moving to Portland at age 45 hoping to soberup.

At the time of his death, he was living in a rent subsidized aprtment (probably an SRO) in downtown Portland on $475 a month from Social Security. $475 in 2003 works out to $684 today.

Nonetheless, he died friendless and familyless and was buried in an unmakred grave at Redland Pioneer Cemetary. His burial was paid for by anonymous donors of the Catholic church he had attended, St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Donors from the same church ponied up for the marker 13 years later.

Redland, if you don't know, is in the foothills of the Cascades east of Oregon City.

[Jann M]

Im not defending anyone, but I know drug addicts can reform, and dealers can get out of the business, I am proof. I have 15 years clean from drugs, as of 17 April. Also used to deal started at 19, drugs were 21,22. Never burgled, though, held down a job. Had he found the inner strength, he could have cleaned up his act, but surgery complications... RIP.