In Redwood City, on Friday evening, several dozen community members gathered in a park for a vigil to remember two employees of a local liquor store who were found dead earlier this month following a fire. Neighbors said these two liquor store employees were familiar and beloved faces in the community.
Amy Anthony, of Redwood City, welcomed attendees to the vigil, saying, “I can’t begin to thank you all enough for taking time out of your busy lives to honor two loved men, who lost their lives at a tragic fire at their workplace.”
This week, officials identified Benigno “Benny” Nuguid Pare, 56, and Anil Kumar Sharma, 25, as the two people found dead at the Avenue Liquor Store on Roosevelt Avenue at 5:30 a.m. on November 3. Their bodies were found by firefighters responding to a fire at the liquor store. Officials said they don’t know what Pare and Kumar were doing inside the building at the time or what caused the fire. Redwood City police and fire departments, as well as the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office, are investigating the fire and the deaths.
Police said that the liquor store owner is cooperating with investigators.
Neighbors are heartbroken about Pare and Sharma’s deaths. The people who spoke at the vigil shared story after story of the everyday kindnesses these two men showed people at the liquor store.
10-year-old Kaiden Warren of Redwood City recalled a recent time when he walked by the store on his way home from school to say hello to Pare. Warren recalled telling Pare that he did not have any money to buy anything, he just wanted to say hello, but Pare offered him a free soda.
“He said to us, ‘Don’t worry about paying, you can just pay forward my kindness,’” Warren recalled.
“He was always like that, he was always in a good mood, I would never see him in a bad mood,” Warren continued.
Neighbors said that both Pare and Sharma were each working to support their families.
Anthony explained that Pare was supporting his family back in the Philippines.
The day before the fire, Alberto Cabrera of Redwood City, who works and lives near the liquor store, said he stopped by the store at around 10 p.m. and saw Pare.
“Benny was very emotional, he was — he couldn’t stop himself from crying,” Cabrera recalled. “He told us that that week he was retiring and was gonna go back to the Philippines.”
Other neighbors recalled Pare telling them that he was planning to get on a flight in the next day or two to go to the Philippines. Many neighbors said they were especially concerned to hear the fire had happened just as Pare was planning to retire.
“Benny is and was a great person, who deserves a lot of love,” Cabrera said.
“His family needs to see the love the community holds for him,” he continued.
Neighbors said the absence of these two friendly faces leaves a big void in the community. The front of the liquor store has since been lined with flowers and tributes to the two employees.
Now, neighbors and community members have started GoFundMe pages to raise donations for Pare and Sharma’s families.
“I know their families greatly appreciate the love and support,” Anthony said.
Source: NBC Bay Area