Timothy Caughman, an all-but-invisible thread in Manhattan’s tapestry one week ago as he collected bottles and cans for the nickel refund, was honored Saturday by the mayor of New York City and dozens of old friends, whose hair had grayed since they saw Mr. Caughman last.
On a raw morning that felt more like winter than spring, they gathered in the little red brick Mount Zion Baptist Church in South Jamaica, Queens, where Mr. Caughman’s father had once been a pastor. They sang the praise of Mr. Caughman — 66 when he was killed by an attacker armed with a sword on the night of March 20 while scavenging in Midtown — as an individual of quiet dignity and broad interests.
