The man dubbed downtown Fort Worth's unofficial greeter passed away Saturday of pancreatic cancer.
Charlie Joyner was a homeless double amputee who people say greeted everyone who walked by him at the corner of 3rd and Houston streets.
Dozens stopped by a makeshift memorial for him Wednesday night.
"We come down once a week to eat dinner and always see him at the corner, and he's always saying, 'Hello' to passersby or giving directions to people, tourists visiting," said downtown visitor Tom Thompson.
By Wednesday, the memorial that started out with two photographs and a single vase of flowers two days prior had grown to cover the corner of the building where Joyner spent much of his time.
"It could be 108 degrees in August, or even when we had the Super Bowl and the ice storm, Charlie was at this corner every single day, just waiting to greet people who come by," said local attorney Kevin Clark, who became close friends with Joyner over the years.
Those who knew Joyner said he never begged. He simply told people "hello" and made friends with anyone he met.
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"I don't know of any man who has touched as many people across all demographics, whether it's ethnic, economic, whatever. Charlie had a kind word for you and he loved you," said Clark.
Joyner was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer five weeks ago.
A memorial service is planned for Thursday, May 14, at noon in the Rio Grande Ballroom at the Worthington Renaissance Hotel in downtown Fort Worth.
Clark and several others had already collected hours of video footage of Joyner for a possible documentary. They're now asking people to come forward to share their experiences with Joyner as part of the film.
"I'm lucky because I got to cross paths with Charlie. Everybody in this area of town is lucky because they crossed paths with Charlie. We want to preserve his legacy so people all over the state and all over the country can cross paths with Charlie," said Clark.
