Ways of Life: 50 years on the streets of Charlotte
Also remembered: A developer of business parks in Charlotte; owner of Jeep’s Superette; a middle school custodian and mentor
You’re reading Ways of Life, a weekly obituaries newsletter from The Charlotte Ledger honoring our friends, neighbors and family members who made an impact on Charlotte through the ways they lived their lives.
Lee Hansel chose to live ‘outside.’ For the last decade of his life, he lived outside St. Peter’s Episcopal, serving as its unofficial custodian.
Lee Hansel didn’t like to take gifts from people, figuring he didn’t want to be a burden on anyone. For his 70th birthday, his family got him a fish sandwich and they ate in a park. (Photo contributed by the family)
by Ken Garfield
Lee Edison Hansel Jr. spent 50 years living outside in Charlotte.
His home the last decade or so was a covered alcove outside St. Peter’s Episcopal Church at North Tryon and West Seventh Streets near Discovery Place uptown. Among his belongings were a mattress, blanket, some clothes and papers. Lee also had a purpose. He was an unofficial church custodian. He picked up trash outside. He helped tend to the flowers. The story goes that one day everyone at church was in a staff meeting and there was no one to answer the phone. So Lee did. St. Peter’s was happy to have him as a friend and neighbor. They welcomed him in for coffee and to freshen up. What mail he received came to the church.
In March 2022, living outside, Lee was badly beaten. Both his arms were broken. One became infected. The attack accelerated his dementia. He never fully recovered. He died on Oct. 6. Lee was 78. That’s a long time considering that the current life expectancy in the United States is 79.1 — and most Americans have a roof over their heads rather than a mattress in an alcove.
According to government statistics, Lee was one of 582,000 men women and children who experienced homelessness in America in 2022. Wonder how many of those 582,000 souls spent the previous 49 years on the street? Lee wouldn’t have balked at being a statistic. But he would have objected to being called “homeless.” He preferred “living outside.” More precisely in Lee’s case: “Choosing to live outside despite all attempts from family, friends and nonprofits to find him temporary or permanent shelter.”
Where were you during the Watergate scandal? Lee was in the elements. Keep his lifestyle choice in mind as you read the story of his life. When you’ve reached the end, see if you can understand Lee, even appreciate him. See if you can find a place in your heart for him and others who go their own way.
‘He Didn’t Want To Be A Burden’
Lee grew up in Mount Holly in Gaston County, the second of four children. His father ran a car repair shop. His mother was a nurse. Lee earned his Eagle Scout at 13. As a teenager, he became an archery champion. As a senior at Mount Holly High School, classmates voted him “Most Likely To Succeed.” In 1970, he graduated from UNC Charlotte with a degree in mechanical engineering. He started life after school with a job and an apartment. Then severe depression began to set in. Shock treatments helped for a time. His family, then and always, rallied around him. But by his mid- to late 20s, the street had won out. He’d go home to Mount Holly for short periods, including at the holidays. But he had trouble making conversation or eye contact. He’d often sit in a room by himself. His father would give him money. Lee wouldn’t accept more than $20. He didn’t want Christmas gifts.
The street life wasn’t just a consequence of mental illness. Liz Clasen-Kelly, CEO of the nonprofit Roof Above, says Lee was all about his independence. Lee’s brother-in-law, Jim Govern of Winston-Salem, says, “He was extremely proud and wanted to live life his way. Baked into his character was an inability to accept help from somebody else. He didn’t want to be a burden to anyone.”
Jim and his wife (Lee’s sister), Patsy Hansel, say Lee did not abuse drugs or alcohol. He didn’t panhandle. He was polite. He wasn’t schizophrenic, didn’t hear voices. Roof Above promised Lee a bed any night he came to the shelter. Except for the occasional frigid night, Lee always said “No thank you.” The police had no quarrel with him. The unofficial title he earned, Dean Of The Streets, was meant as a compliment.
So what does 50 years on the street look like?
Lee walked around a lot, briskly, up and down South Boulevard and throughout uptown. If you approached, he’d say he was looking for a job and didn’t have time to stop or slow down. Like many of his peers, he sought warmth in the since-demolished uptown library. Twenty or so years ago, when the St. Peter’s soup kitchen served a soup-and-sandwich lunch to the needy, Lee was a regular. The soup kitchen long ago moved north on North College to Roof Above. He rarely ate there. St. Peter’s member Candace Armstrong remembers dropping him off at the Harris Teeter uptown one morning, where they let him microwave his breakfast, often oatmeal. He was clever. He kept his valuables, including a cell phone, in a bucket that he then turned over and sat on for safekeeping.
One day in 2012, Clasen-Kelly stopped to chat with Lee. He told her he was about to go to Rome. Nice, Liz thought, Georgia is lovely this time of year. He meant Rome, Italy. Lee managed to save enough money from disability and other sources to wrangle a passport, birth certificate (with the help of his brother, Jack, a lawyer) and plane ticket to get himself there. He loved Rome. The only down side to the trip? He was robbed twice. Without resources, he went to the American Embassy. His sister, Patsy, finishes the story in an email: “The siblings had to get him a plane ticket to come back after we got a call from the American Embassy asking us to get him home, please.” She ended the email with a smiley face. With a brother living outside for 50 years, it helps to maintain a sense of humor. Despite the robberies, Lee said he wanted to go back to Rome one day.
Patsy Hansel, with her brother Lee Hansel. (Photo contributed by the family)
Over the years, there were happy times. (Who can really say when Lee was happiest?) Family would take him to Lake Norman, where he used to go as a child. Patsy and Jim took him out for lunch. He liked Cracker Barrel and all-you-can-eat Chinese buffets. For his 70th birthday lunch, they got takeout and took him to a park in Belmont. He enjoyed a fish sandwich.
‘Did We Do Enough?’
Complicated, right?
Perhaps if Lee hadn’t chosen to live outside 50 years ago, he wouldn’t have died as a result of being on the street. Mental health care and medications have improved. People who are mentally ill are by and large no longer treated as pariahs. Neither are the homeless, at least by those with at least half a heart. Perhaps he’d have trusted people enough to accept an invitation from Roof Above to move into one of its affordable housing apartments. At Roof Above’s True Blessings luncheon to raise money and awareness, Clasen-Kelly told the crowd that Lee’s life and death are never far from her thoughts. “Did we do enough?” she asked the 1,000-plus people in attendance. “It is the question that always haunts us with this work.”
One more thing.
Lee’s family was and forever will be sad. But they understand. They agree that Lee was at peace. It wasn’t so much a question of “Was he happy?” as it was a question of “Did he live life his way?” The answer is yes, which leads to another question. “What, if anything, could or should we have done in the matter of Lee Edison Hansel Jr.?” And then another. “What would it have looked like if we as his fellow human beings had loved Lee?”
Lee was cremated. At his request, he was laid to rest beside his mother and father in a cemetery in his native Mount Holly, a mile or so from home.
Ken Garfield is a freelance writer/editor who specializes in obituaries. Reach him at garfieldken3129@gmail.com.
Other obituaries this week:
David Hamilton Allen, 85, of Charlotte retired from the real estate division of the City of Charlotte after 30 years. He was active at Albemarle Road Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon and elder, and was active in the Boy Scouts of America, pack and Troop 153.
Thelma Lee Ardrey, 87, of Charlotte attended Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and graduated from Plato Price High School in 1953 and furthered her education at Johnson C. Smith University and Central Piedmont Community College. She found her calling as a store owner and real estate investor and will be remembered as a successful, independent entrepreneur. Thelma joined Moore’s Sanctuary A.M.E. Zion Church in her early years and remained a lifetime member.
Carson Atkins, 69, of Charlotte was a dedicated volunteer at St. Mark’s United Methodist Church and New Shiloh Baptist Church in Charlotte. Carson had a passion for experimenting with new dishes, and his love for cooking was a testament to his adventurous spirit and creative soul.
Barbara Busto, 89, of Charlotte worked in the business office of Blackhawk Hardware in Charlotte for 40 years. She was an avid tennis player in middle age, and loved animals of all kinds, especially cats.
Charles “Charlie” Cox, 42, of Charlotte was an assistant manager at Dick’s Sporting Goods for 16 years. Charlie attended East Mecklenburg High School and Central Piedmont Community College. He loved spending time on the South Carolina beaches of Cherry Grove, Pawley’s Island and Sullivan’s Island. Even though Charlie enjoyed the beach, his true place of happiness was the mountains of North Carolina. He was a huge Duke basketball fan, and if they were playing, you would find him donning his Duke attire and spiritedly cheering on the team.
Bryan George Davies, 86, of Charlotte started Morningstar Miniwarehouses in Charlotte after moving here in 1982. Bryan then continued in the real estate development business developing multiple business parks, including Coffee Creek Business Center. He was a member of Quail Hollow Club. Bryan served on the board of Charlotte Family Housing and was honored on November 2, 2019 with an award for his longstanding service and contribution to supporting the homeless.
Edwin Dean Ferguson, 95, of Charlotte was a CPA and worked for several companies before retiring from Deloitte & Touche. Dean served as a deacon and elder at Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian Church, where he actively participated in the weekly men’s “lunch bunch.” As a longtime resident of Myers Park, he loved that his home was featured in The Charlotte News in 1973. Dean’s interests included classic cars, religious studies, playing the piano, ballroom dancing, trips to the beach and gardening.
Barbara Benfield Holland, 85, of Charlotte owned and operated Unique Impressions Salon in Charlotte. She was a hairstylist for over fifty years. Barbara was a member of First Baptist Church of Charlotte
Zaydee Lopez-Ibanez, 85, of Charlotte joined St. Gabriel Catholic Church in 1965 and was an active parishioner throughout her lifetime. Church was truly her passion. She was forced to flee Cuba after the government nationalized the family business and assets and she settled in Charlotte in 1961. A tireless person, she always focused on helping those in need. Zaydee’s participation in an array of charitable causes reached across continents, helping the poor and underprivileged in her community.
Kathie Hope Martin, 82, of Charlotte lived in Charlotte most of her life. She was a member of St. Ann Catholic Church and later St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church once it opened. She was not afraid to tell you what she thought if she felt you needed to hear it for your own good.
Phyllis Justice Mills, 85, of Matthews was a graduate of Kings Business College and a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Charlotte. She worked for many years as a secretary at several local churches. Phyllis was blessed with the gift of hospitality, which she practiced as part of the Martha Ministry at her church. She also volunteered in the church library. Phyllis was a voracious reader, loved to travel and was a great cook.
Richard “Jeep” McQuay, 87, of Charlotte was active at Thomasboro Baptist and Holly Hunter Baptist Church in Charlotte. He ran Jeep’s Superette, a grocery store in the Thomasboro neighborhood.
Jay Wayne Parton, 71, moved to Charlotte and became operations manager at the Foundation of Shalom Park, retiring in 2021. He was loyal to his favorite New York teams — the Yankees, Giants, Rangers and Knicks — and went to many games at Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden.
Jerrie Ann Hagler Tarlton, 87, of Charlotte worked with her husband at T & T Cabinet Shop in Charlotte. Jerrie worked as a secretary at Edgecombe Steel. She loved to travel, and her second home at the beach brought her much joy.
Dorothy “Dot” Comer Trull, 103, of Charlotte was a longtime member of Cole Memorial United Methodist Church in Charlotte. She loved traveling and shopping, and enjoyed all her clubs and other fellowship activities.
William Michael “Mike” Weaver, 61, of Charlotte worked as a custodian at Albemarle Road Middle School in Charlotte, where he was also a mentor to students. He worked as a caretaker at a residential home for disabled men, at a YMCA afterschool program, and was a leader with the Boy Scouts Venture program and with Another Choice Adoption Agency. He was a skilled martial artist, achieving a black belt in taekwondo. Mike was skilled in many areas including painting, floor care, carpentry, auto mechanics and construction.
Creighton Wrenn Jr., 76 of Charlotte graduated from Myers Park High School. Drafted during the Vietnam War, he served in the U.S. Navy for four years. Creighton was a true individual, a writer and a gourmand.
Ways of Life condensed obituaries are compiled by Darrell Horwitz, a Charlotte-based freelance writer who writes about sports, local news and restaurants. Reach him at darrellhorwitz@gmail.com
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Ways of Life editor: Craig Paddock