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 Friends on Nov. 13 will celebrate the generous, hard-luck life of South Florida gay activist David Wylie, who died of cancer in October. He was 44.
Among the mourners: Geo Bustamante, who became a surrogate son to Wylie after his parents kicked him out because he is gay.
The two met online four years ago.
``I started writing on MySpace how I was depressed. He told me to hang in there,'' said Bustamante, now 24. ``We connected from the day we met. He told me everything happens for a reason and that God sent him as an angel to help me out. He was an angel to me.''
Wylie related to Bustamante on a painfully personal level.
When he was 3, Wylie's parents abandoned him after his baby sister died of sudden infant death syndrome.
Years later, his adoptive parents cut him off when he came out of the closet, according to Deborah MacLean, a close friend and former co-worker.
Wylie had been married to a woman. After she learned he was gay, the now ex-wife severed all ties between him and his teenage son, MacLean said.
``He was extremely heartbroken. Devastated. He had a passion for caring and giving back to children,'' MacLean said.
Wylie had a life-changing experience at age 10: Toys For Tots gave him his first Christmas gift.
``It affected him very strongly. He thought in his older life he should continue doing that,'' MacLean said. ``He wanted to give back. Every year he did a toy drive. He called it Santa on a Plane.
``We would get together at Hop-a-Jet [at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport] with a few children, the children of employees. They would wrap the toys. He would dress as Santa Claus and taxi out from one of the jets.''
The wrapped gifts were then donated to underprivileged children.
Last year, Wylie organized a Miami Beach fundraiser hosted by former Miami Heat basketball star Tim Hardaway for The Trevor Project, a Los Angeles-based national crisis and suicide prevention program aimed at gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth.
``David had an inner light that was apparent because he wanted to help the community,'' said Trevor Project Executive Director Charles Robbins. ``His caring concern for young people was that they wouldn't have to repeat the things he went through.''
Wylie spent his early life in Georgia and moved to Florida in the mid-1990s. He lived in Key West, Miami and Davie.
Several years ago, he helped Bustamante, a budding photographer, set up a gay-oriented website, www.gaysofla.com.
``He taught me how to see things, appreciate things even more,'' Bustamante said. ``How to help people. No matter how bad things get, you can always help people out.''
There's no purpose in living if you can't help someone else.''
When Bustamante met Wylie, he already was being treated for prostate cancer. It later spread to his lungs, kidney and liver, MacLean said.
Wylie didn't want anyone in the community to know his misfortune.
``He didn't like telling people about his problems, telling people he had cancer. He was never negative,'' Bustamante said.
His cancer worsened last year and he spent much of the past months in and out of hospitals.
Wylie's job as communications manager at PRC, a Fort Lauderdale-based call center company, recently was eliminated. After missing a COBRA payment, he lost his health insurance.
He died broke on Oct. 19 and didn't leave enough money to pay for his $895 cremation. Friends are raising the cash. Contributions can be made to the David L Wylie Memorial Fund, Bank of America, 1333 S. University Dr., Plantation, FL 33324.
A memorial service will be held 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 13, at Sunshine Cathedral Metropolitan Community Church, 1480 SW Ninth Ave., Fort Lauderdale.
CLICK HERE to contribute to David L Wylie Memorial Fund (what's left will be donated to a good cause)
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