Identified! FL - St Petersburg, WhtMale UP2300, 30-50, Oct'99 - Fletcher Currin

[carbuff]

I'm glad he's been identified at last. -

 

[zwiebel]

I hadn't checked the thread recently but someone just shared the new story with me. Just astounding that finding this missing man came down to the dedication of an old friend and his habit of opening letters from the end instead of breaking the seal.

Such a moving story. Rest in peace, Stewart Fletcher Currin.

 

[Sleuthster]

Wow! I live in Pinellas and had read the story "Finding Fletcher" months back. Glad to see that they finally identified him.

 

[Figbarinc]

Just a personal note. Fletcher was my first cousin. There will be a burial/memorial service for Fletcher at Olivia Presbyterian Church Cemetery on August 8th at 3 pm.

I have been a member of WS since June 0f 2008 and it never occurred to me to look for Fletcher here. Nobody I mean nobody knew where Fletcher was. The last I heard from family members is that "somebody" had heard from him in 1999. Every time there was a Currin Family Reunion somebody would ask about him but nobody knew anything. Even though Fletcher was a Currin. (There are a bunch of Currin/Carrington family members in Harnett County NC) Fletcher lived in New York and then his family moved to St. Petersburg Florida. So most of the family members did not have contact with Fletcher except when his father, Ernest and mother Eloise would visit. The last time I saw Fletcher which would have been 1972-1973 was due to the Death of Uncle Ervin his father's brother.

I have learned more about Fletcher's Adult life only in the last few months. Fletcher's mother Eloise was Uncle Ervin's wife's Hilda cousin. Eloise grew up in Cameron NC. Sometime in the early 1980's Fletcher had become Schizophrenic. He was a brilliant man but he had become Schizophrenic. Everntually he left Florida and he would spend time with Eloise' side of the family. He was hospitalized and started taking medication and it was working for a time. At some point in time he stopped from taking the medication and eventually started living on the street. This is the way he lived his life the last few years until he died of Heart Attack at 44 years of age. Most of his Uncles also died of an heart attack before reaching 50 years of age. I myself had my first one at 49 then I had another one at 56. If Fletcher had been able to receive proper medical care there is a distinct possibility that he would be alive today

 

[Sleuthster]

Just a personal note. Fletcher was my first cousin. There will be a burial/memorial service for Fletcher at Olivia Presbyterian Church Cemetery on August 8th at 3 pm.

I have been a member of WS since June 0f 2008 and it never occurred to me to look for Fletcher here. Nobody I mean nobody knew where Fletcher was. The last I heard from family members is that "somebody" had heard from him in 1999. Every time there was a Currin Family Reunion somebody would ask about him but nobody knew anything. Even though Fletcher was a Currin. (There are a bunch of Currin/Carrington family members in Harnett County NC) Fletcher lived in New York and then his family moved to St. Petersburg Florida. So most of the family members did not have contact with Fletcher except when his father, Ernest and mother Eloise would visit. The last time I saw Fletcher which would have been 1972-1973 was due to the Death of Uncle Ervin his father's brother.

I have learned more about Fletcher's Adult life only in the last few months. Fletcher's mother Eloise was Uncle Ervin's wife's Hilda cousin. Eloise grew up in Cameron NC. Sometime in the early 1980's Fletcher had become Schizophrenic. He was a brilliant man but he had become Schizophrenic. Everntually he left Florida and he would spend time with Eloise' side of the family. He was hospitalized and started taking medication and it was working for a time. At some point in time he stopped from taking the medication and eventually started living on the street. This is the way he lived his life the last few years until he died of Heart Attack at 44 years of age. Most of his Uncles also died of an heart attack before reaching 50 years of age. I myself had my first one at 49 then I had another one at 56. If Fletcher had been able to receive proper medical care there is a distinct possibility that he would be alive today

I'm so glad that this man was given his name back and your family found out what became of Fletcher. My condolences and thank you for sharing this. Schizophrenia is a disease and I too wish there where more help out there for people who suffer from it.

 

[carbuff]

I'm sorry you lost him that way. Poor man. Schizophrenia is a terrible disease.

 

[Figbarinc]

Just another heads up. We buried my cousin Fletcher today. A very beautiful service. I was surprised by the turnout. I would say there was close to 100 people that attended. The large majority of the people that were there were family members I was surprised how much of his grade and high school mementos where available to look at.

Andrew Meacham did the eulogy and it was a done with as much dignity and honor that only a close friend could could do. Andrew went to great lengths to make sure his friend received the proper burial and appreciation for an extremely gifted and witty man. Fletcher in the end struggled with a disease that robbed him of any chance of being normal. It makes me grateful that I got to live a normal life because the genetic markers for severe mental illness is there.

Tomorrow, The Sanford Herald Newspaper will publish an article that will give an overview of the service and Andrew Meacham will do a companion piece to tie up lose ends. There was a film crew that captured the entire service plus they interviewed other people about their recollections of Fletcher's life. Here is a chance to experience a life that from childhood and even unto his early adult years was a highly intelligent functioning individual, who cherished relationships and worked and played just like you and me. He was just an unidentified deceased person assigned a number. But through a persistent friend-Andrew and the technology that DNA offers today he regained his proper name-Stewart Fletcher Currin. RIP Cousin.

 

[KateB]

​On the trail of missing persons
CBS News November 29, 2015, 9:09 AM
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/on-the-trail-of-missing-persons/

When a person goes missing there's no guarantee that they'll ever be found. Much depends on the determination of the person who's pressing the search. Our Cover Story is reported by Susan Spencer of "48 Hours":

Tampa Bay Times writer Andrew Meacham is in the story-telling business, but one story from his own past haunts him: That of his childhood friend Stewart Fletcher Currin.

Video & more at link.