Migrant who died in city-operated shelter remembered as kind, hard-working
Thank you for supporting our journalism. This article is available exclusively for our subscribers, who help fund our work at the Chicago Tribune.Yehiree Karelys Rodriguez accepts a hug during the funeral for Luis Alberto Aguilar Peres, her brother, Saturday at the Concord Missionary Baptist Church in Woodlawn. Peres, 26, had been seeking asylum in Chicago since his arrival from Venezuela.
The first migrant to die in a city-operated shelter — Luis Alberto Aguilar Peres — was remembered at a memorial service Saturday as kind, hard-working and committed to helping family and friends.“My brother was very humble. He was a hard worker and loved to give generously,” Yeniree Karelys Rodriguez, Peres’ sister, said at the service. “Everything he would gain through his work — he sent it to help his family and his friends in Venezuela.
Peres, 26, was found unresponsive June 2 at Woodlawn migrant shelter in the former Wadsworth Elementary School Building. Rodriguez, who sat in the front row during the service at Woodlawn’s Concord Baptist Church, said Peres had been in Chicago for almost a year.She said she had invited her brother, a husband and father, to move to Utah and live with her. “But he already loved the city of Chicago,” she said.
About 30 people attended the service, including fellow residents of the Woodlawn migrant shelter, several of whom trickled in from a Saturday morning English as a Second Language class held by the church. The church has served as a “home away from home” for migrant community members since February, the Rev. Dr. Kenneth D. Phelps said, offering English as a Second Language courses and worship services to migrants. Phelps said Peres’ life had “touched members of our community.”Chicago Tribune editors' top story picks, delivered to your inbox each afternoon.
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