God's Children

and

Part of the Living Stones Family

“If either of them falls down, one can help the other up. But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help them up.”  (Ecclesiastes 4:10)

Long-time Living Stones neighbors John, Richard, and Stanley shared a very special friendship. They trusted one another implicitly and never doubted that their friends would be there to help with whatever they needed. “We didn’t even have to ask,” Richard said emotionally. “We were closer than family.” He was emotional because in the past eight months, he has had to say goodbye to both Stanley, who passed away in February, and John, who died unexpectedly not many weeks ago. 

Richard relied heavily on John for help, particularly in matters related to his health. John was key to getting Richard on dialysis, which he now receives three days a week, and had been working hard to get Richard the new kidney he needs, a process which Richard must now try to finish himself. Without family to help him, Richard struggles with how he will make it on his own. And he thinks often of John and Stanley and all the experiences they shared together, both in good times and when life was difficult. 

This unique friendship had an unusual beginning. Richard often stopped at a fast-food restaurant on his way home from working the night shift and frequently talked with a couple having their morning coffee. They liked this friendly and interesting gentleman and wanted to introduce him to their son Stanley. They did, and Richard and Stanley quickly became fast friends. When Stanley introduced Richard to his friend John, there was no separating the three of them. 

These three brothers by choice, not birth, enjoyed life together. All were history buffs and belonged to the Pennsylvania Trolley Museum in Washington, PA, which they visited as often as they could. Stanley had a car for a while, and the three of them would sometimes take short road trips, a favorite being to the Ponderosa Steakhouse in Butler. They also knew how to get just about anywhere in the Pittsburgh area on a bus. Their knowledge of bus routes and schedules was astounding.

They also cared for one another when times were tough. Several times John was homeless, and Stanley let him live with him. And when Stanley got sick, John took numerous buses to get from his apartment in the South Side to Coraopolis to buy the hard-to-find kind of tea Stanley liked and deliver it to him at the rehabilitation facility in Shadyside where he was staying.

As John told us once, “When you’re out of work, out of money, have no family, or are just plain down on your luck, knowing where you can get free food is important.” He and Stanley were excited when Richard told them he had heard that a group called Living Stones was serving free hot meals that were supposed to be really good. The three of them were among some of the first neighbors to attend our meals in Brookline and Whitehall back in 2012. And they continued to come, to every location public transportation would take them. 

We got to know and care deeply for these three friends and were heartbroken when we learned of the passing of Stanley and John. And as our minglers talked with Richard and came to understand the impact their absence would have on his life, we felt called to have a memorial service in their honor. There had been a small cemetery service for Stanley, but John left no money and had no relatives to arrange a service for him. Richard wanted “more than anything to give John a proper burial,” but lacked the means to make that happen. 

Thanks to the generosity of Dylan Parson, the energetic and compassionate pastor of Fairhaven United Methodist Church in Overbrook, Richard was able to see that both of his friends were memorialized in a beautiful and fitting way. During a service directly preceding our first meal at Fairhaven on Oct. 30, Living Stones volunteers and neighbors joined others who knew the three friends to worship and celebrate the passing of two of God’s children from this world into eternal life. Both were men of faith and will be missed by all of us at Living Stones, but particularly by Richard, who talked with John on the phone every other day unless they were doing something together. 

Come to the Table

Second Sunday of every month

Baldwin United Presbyterian Church

201 Knoedler Road, Pittsburgh, PA 15236

Third Sunday of every month

North Way Christian Community Church

Corner of Espy Ave. & Potomac Ave.

Dormont, PA 15216

Across from Potomac Avenue T stop



Last Sunday of every month

Fairhaven United Methodist Church

2415 Saw Mill Run Blvd., Pittsburgh, PA 15234

Celebrating 10 years of being God's

hands and feet!

To support the work we do, simply scan a code below or make a check payable to

Grow Living Stones and mail it to

GROW Living Stones, PO Box 13077, Pittsburgh, PA 15243

Thank you!

GROW Living Stones fosters the cultivation of relationships with neighbors who join us for meals at Living Stones tables. As relationships develop and deepen, GROW Living Stones volunteers come alongside those individuals and families to assist them in navigating the challenges in their lives and encourage them to find hope in Christ as they learn to trust Him.

"Won't you be my neighbor?"

Fred Rogers