East County News Service

Update: For those who missed the celebration of life, you can view it, along with a memorial wall, here:

• Father Joe Carroll’s memorial wall
• Recording of Celebration of Life

August 5, 2021 (San Diego) – The community is invited to celebrate Father Joe Carroll’s decades of service and compassion for neighbors in need. The celebration of life will take place August 10 at 10:30 a.m. at San Diego Convention Center, 111 West Harbor Drive, San Diego in Hall H. 

RSVP: To reserve a free ticket for this event, click here.

“Father Joe Carroll stands distinguished in our county and in our nation.” – Bishop Robert W. McElroy

Famed priest once served at Our Lady of Grace Catholic church in El Cajon

Update: For those who missed the celebration of life, you can view it, along with a memorial wall, here:

• Father Joe Carroll’s memorial wall
• Recording of Celebration of Life

By Miriam Raftery

July 11, 2021 (San Diego) – Father Joe Carroll, the Catholic priest famed for his leadership to help the homeless, died this morning at his home in the East Village at age 80. The President of Emeritus of Father Joe’s Villages leaves behind a profound legacy of compassion and decades of accomplishments to help people in need.

Carroll’s pioneering vision of a comprehensive “one-stop-shop” for homeless services led to the founding of Father Joe’s Villages, the largest and most comprehensive homeless services provider in San Diego County.

June 5, 2021 (La Mesa) -- Edward Gene Burr, the co-founder of EDCO Disposal Corporation and one of East County’s most generous philanthropists, passed away on May 31, 2021 at age 89 in Sharp Grossmont Hospital. 

The hospital named its Burr Heart and Vascular Center after Ed Burr and his wife, Sandy, whose $5 million donation was the largest in the facility’s history.

“We believe in giving back to the community where we have been fortunate to grow our business for many years,” Ed Burr said during a dedication ceremony in 2018. He added, “Sharp Grossmont has been there for us when we needed it, so it is our honor to support a cause that has such an impact on so many of us in East County.”

The hospital foundation was one of many charitable endeavors supported by the Burrs through their many years of service to East County and the San Diego region.

Update: The cause of death for Goffeney and his wife was fentanyl addiciton, Goffeney's daughter posted.

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Mark Goffeney, Creative Commons image via Wikipedia

March 14, 2021 (El Cajon) – Mark Goffeney, the internationally acclaimed armless musician known as “Big Toe” who inspired people around the world, was found dead on March 2nd in his El Cajon apartment along with his wife, Annmaree. Both were 51. An autopsy will determine their causes of death.

Born without arms in 1969, Goffeney inspired millions with his can-do attitude. He learned to play the guitar and bass with his feet, strumming with his left foot and forming chords with his right.  He was nominated in an Emmy award in 1999 for his role in a Fox commercial, “Feet”, which later aired during the Superbowl in 2000 and 2001.  He’s performed around the world with many top celebrities, also appearing on an array of TV shows.

By Miriam Raftery

January 30, 2021 (San Diego) – The body of 21-year-old Max Lenail, who went missing while running in Mission Trails Regional Park yesterday, has been found by searchers.

His mother, Laurie Yoder, posted on a Facebook group set up to help find her son, “I’m sad to report that they have found and retrieved Max Lenail’s body from the Mission Trails park. It is every parent’s worst nightmare. The only silver lining is the incredible support that we’ve received over the last day from close friends and family, and from people we’ve never met from around the globe who tried to help. From the bottom of my heart I will never forget all of the people who reached out with kindness.”

By Miriam Raftery

Photo: Kelly Lynne Cameron with her husband, Tom Hovde, via GoFundMe

January 11, 2020 (La Mesa) – A 54-year-old woman killed while jogging in her La Mesa neighborhood has been identified by the  county medical examiner as Kelly Lynne Cameron. A GoFundMe site set up to help her family indicates she was a front-line medical worker and athlete.

East County News Service

By Miriam Raftery

July 26, 2020 (Jamul) – Jamul resident Gregory Denny, who worked at Taylor Guitars and was a former Little League coach, died July 24 in a hospital of COVID-19. His wife, Kim Kallege Denny, announced his passing on Facebook, calling him her soulmate and best friend, adding, “He is now my guardian angel.”

East County News Service

Updated with funeral and memorial information added.

May 27, 2020 (San Diego’s East County) – Donald “Don” Parent, long-time Public Affairs Manager for SDG&E and an active participant in many local business and community organizations, died May 25 after a three-year battle with prostate cancer.

“Everyone who knew Don loved him.  He was unfailingly kind, ever ready to help, and could always make you laugh,” his family posted on his Facebook page, voicing gratitude for many heartfelt messages received.  “They are testament to the man he was, and of how many people he touched.”

By Miriam Raftery

Memorial service has been moved to Bethel Baptist Church on Jan. 24. See details below.

Photo: Carrol Waymon PhD, watching the inauguration of President Barack Obama during a celebration at the Malcolm X Library in San DIego in January, 2009.

January 12, 2020 (San Diego)--San Diego’s most prominent civil rights leader, Carrol Waymon PhD, passed away in early January at age 94.  As executive director of San Diego’s first human rights agency, the Citizens Interracial Committee, he was a tireless fighter for justice who broke down many barriers for people of color.

Born May 15, 1925, Waymon was the grandson of a slave and son of a Methodist minister.  He was one of seven children, including his sister, the late jazz musician Nina Simone. While working on the Los Angeles Human Relations Agency in 1964, he was asked by San Diego's City Council  to come to San Diego and help address racial issues. He moved here and never left,  leading the Citizens Interracial Committee and devoting his life to attaining equal rights for all.

ECM interviewed Waymon in January 2009, during a local viewing of the inuauguration of Barack Obama, our nation’s first African-American president.  For Waymon, who once served as San Diego’s delegate to the funeral of Martin Luther King, Jr., Obama’s election was a major milestone hailed by Waymon.  “It is incredible to me. I couldn’t imagine at that time in 1968 that we’d have a black president 40 years later,” he said.