VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Friends and family of Randy Ponzio filled an East Vancouver Church today to say goodbye to the 35-year-old father of three.
His parents travelled from Texas, where Ponzio was raised, for today's memorial service.
A week after Ponzio's body was discovered at a Downtown Eastside hotel, his friend Marc Stokes described him as a constant source of positive energy.
"Randy was a warrior, not a soldier, and every time he fought with his heart and gave as much as he could to help as many people as possible," Stokes said.
His father, Randy Sr., says his son will be buried in Vancouver to allow his grandchildren to visit their father's grave. He says he's proud of his son, noting the number of lives he touched in Vancouver.
"We're seeing his family that he established here, and they're telling
us these stories about him, and it's these stories about Randy that
we're trying to record as much as possible, because he's got three
children... and we want those stories to be retold to them whenever they
have tough moments that they'll have in the future," said Randy Sr.
"When life is hard, they'll know how hard it was for Randy, but he didn't let that stop him. He still kept showing love to people, and affection, and encouragement."
Police are still investigating Ponzio's death, which they say is suspicious.
A
fundraiser is set to be held November 29th to help his family.
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