The homeless community in Cadillac is shocked and saddened by the sudden passing of one of their own who was on the verge of getting back on his feet.
Leaders, volunteers, and others in the homeless community are heartbroken over the loss of Bob Anes.
Officer In Command, Captain Greg Bock of the Cadillac Salvation Army said Bob was a character.
“Bob was a very fiery person. fiery personality. He was a people’s person through and through,” said Bock.
Bock said they may never know what killed Bob Anes.
“I don’t know. I’m not sure. But I know that when he was found, he was frozen. And that’s not the way that any person should have to go out alone,” said Bock.
Bock said this much they do know.
“81 years old. And this is how he went out. Unacceptable. It just kind of feels like we failed him,” said Bock.
He said Anes disappeared right after Christmas, which isn’t unusual, but when the extreme cold weather hit, the homeless community started wondering about him.
“We knew he had the RV. I didn’t know where the RV was parked or where it was,” said Bock.
Bock said Anes was also dealing with medical issues, in and out of hospitals.
He was finally found dead last Tuesday in an RV he had recently gotten. Bock said the RV was older and was heated with a buddy heater, but the propane had run out at some point.
He was located with the help of one of Bob’s friends, Jessica Dominy who made some calls looking for Bob.
“When the guy called me back, I just lost it. I just hit my knees crying,” said Dominy.
Bock said the RV was parked at a Lake City mechanic shop where Anes was waiting to have it fixed up.
“The mechanic had no idea Bob was sneaking back to the RV. He was told he wasn’t supposed to be living in the RV, while he was at the shop, because it was dangerous,” said Bock.
Bock said it was supposed to take weeks before they could even start work on it.
“Bob could have stayed at the shelter, but Bob finally had something he’d call his own. He had an RV. He had something he could live in, and he was proud of it,” said Bock.
Dominy, now a volunteer, said she and her husband lived with Anes in the woods last year when they were struggling with homelessness. She said he was selfless.
“Bob didn’t believe in miracles. But he was a miracle. He did a lot for a lot of people, but not himself. And he was an amazing friend,” said Dominy.
A memorial service is tentatively set for Wednesday evening to celebrate his life and raise awareness about the struggles people experiencing homelessness face.
“A lot of people just see it as people just not wanting to work or do for themselves. And that’s not the case. It’s not that we’re not trying. We always try,” said Dominy.