Homeless columnist’s random acts of kindness | Letters

Published 9:49 am Friday, May 25, 2012

The late columnist Walter Backstrom did not like to reveal his situation or health issues. He shared with me how the people in Federal Way he let into his life responded. The owner of the Village Inn Restaurant would give him a pass on a meal.

The local UPS store made sure he got his mail, even when he could not pay. A local pastor took him into his home for several weeks. He and his wife counseled and prayed for him.

A supervisor for umpires would give him a ride and pay him for games. The same person gave him a bed to sleep in. A local physician who was providing his health care paid his phone bill. The local library staff became his friends.

Walter Backstrom had a plan to recover from his circumstances. He was close to achieving self-sufficiency. He was grateful for the people who responded to his needs.

Right in the middle of health problems, financial problems, and being homeless, he started and completed minority scholarships. He was politically active, pushing for minority opportunity. He never stopped planning on how to help others, even when he needed help.

Robert Hale, Federal Way