Loving, caring, funny, fun to be around
Eddie was feisty from day one. His weird laugh, sense of fun and hyper nature made him the center of attention. He and his brothers, Robby, Sway, and AJ, played in their large yard, took karate lessons and played baseball together. Weekends at the roller rink included Eddie performing in sync movements with his brothers.
Beverly, Eddie’s mom, single-handedly raised the boys while working as a hairstylist to create a loving home for them. Eddie’s close friends, Pdub, and Big Tito, were also like family, especially Big Tito, who stood tall over Eddie’s 5’3 frame. Eddie’s small size didn’t stop him from having a big appetite, especially when it came to his grandmother’s Puerto Rican red rice, pork Spanish rice, and the traditional Thanksgiving turkey dinner.
Eddie was passionate about making beats and rapping his lyrics, often staying up late into the night immersed in his music. A hands-on learner, Eddie left school to develop skills such as working on cars and cutting hair. Having perfected his skills working with his mother in the salon, he gained recognition as Edlo the Barber and rose to become one of the city’s most skilled barbers, known for his artistic hair cutting.
Eddie and his girlfriend, Stacy, had four children together, Eddie III, now 17, Carlos, 16, Alex 12, and Giovanni, 10. Eddie and Stacy are examples of how people with substance use disorder are more than their addiction. They were both loving and caring parents who enjoyed Christmas, birthday celebrations, walks, and time playing at the park with their kids. Though there were times of sobriety, both Eddie and Stacy struggled to stay substance free, and their youngest son was born addicted. Fortunately, Giovanni is healthy with no ill effects and is a clone of his father. Both he and his brother Eddie are interested in becoming barbers like their dad.
Eddie, Stacy, and the kids lived with Beverly for a time. “After moving out, they went downhill,” she said. Years of drug use caused Eddie’s severe heart condition. He was often sick and unmotivated to get help. Beverly watched him “slowly wither away, wondering if the day would come where he would finally succumb to his addiction.” When the day came, it was a heart attack caused by years of substance use that took his life. Five years later, Stacy died from an overdose, leaving their children in the shared care of both their maternal and paternal grandmothers.
Beverly lost her home trying to save Eddie and others in the family, and from the constant pressure of drug dealers coming to the house asking for money. She never gave up and was always there for her family. In the last three years, she saved money to buy another home where Eddie’s kids each have their own room. In the basement of their home is a mural of their parents and a wall of pictures of their family as they have grown through the years. Anyone who comes over is invited to sign the wall. “I don’t want them forgotten,” Beverly said. “What made me survive was my grandchildren. I put them first, even when mourning my son.”
The kids now split time between Stacy’s mother and Beverly, with the oldest living with Beverly full time. They are well loved and cared for and often share memories of times with their parents.
Heriberto’s mother, Beverly Melendez, provided the information for this narrative.
January 22, 1981-August 7, 2014-Age 32
Portrait Artist: Shawn Faust
Narrative Writer: Barbara Francois
