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By Jeff Hansel

The Post-Bulletin 

LIVING ON THE EDGE
Here, near the foot of a leafless tree, rests John Larson, dead from a stroke at the age of 47.

He received a county burial this summer after no family members could be found.

Nothing more is known about him than his birth date -- May 3, 1959 -- and his last known permanent address, at 8525 14th Ave. S. in Bloomington, Minn. No relatives. No friends. No work history. His last permanent address in Rochester was the Candle Rose Inn, 17 Fourth St. S.W.

Someone, somewhere, must care about John Larson. The county waits for that person to someday show up.

It's not unusual for authorities to be unsuccessful in finding family to mourn or handle arrangements for a deceased homeless person.

But Dr. Eric Pfeifer, the Olmsted County medical examiner, hopes someone has a clue that will lead to Larson's loved ones. Once or twice a year, Pfeifer is called to scenes where the deceased are homeless or in temporary housing situations.

This August, Pfeifer responded to the death of Andrew Herrmann, who had become increasingly depressed while living on the street.

A police report indicates Herrmann, 45, took his own life about Aug. 31. It took several weeks for the medical examiner to learn where his family was.

"With a stroke of luck while digging through old paperwork, social services found the parents of Mr. Herrmann; he is now in their care," Pfeifer said this week.

Herrmann was loved deeply, one of his sisters said. "He was very much loved by all of us, and anybody that's living in this situation, dealing and living with an alcoholic, it's the alcohol that we couldn't deal with and manage," said one of Herrmann's sisters.

As for the family-less Larson, Pfeifer said he was given a respectful burial, despite his final solitude.

"A graveside prayer was given," he said.

Do you know John Larson?

The Olmsted County coroner hopes to connect with the family of John Larson, a homeless man who died Sept. 7 in Rochester when. If you have information on Larson, please call 285-8580 and ask for the coroner or medical examiner.

The series

Today's stories conclude a four-day series about homeless people in Rochester.

On Wednesday, "Hiding in plain sight: Rochester's homeless" introduced some of the people and problems the face. We featured Ricky Chilson, a man who was burned last winter when his shelter in the woods caught fire.

On Thursday, the reasons people end up on the streets were explored.

On Friday, "Tough love" is redefined by couples who are chronically homeless.

During the next year, Post-Bulletin reporter Jeff Hansel and photographer Jerry Olson will continue to follow the lives and plight of the homeless here in Rochester.