A north Minneapolis funeral director who helped hundreds of struggling families lay loved ones to rest will be buried Saturday at Zion Baptist Church.
Richard Estes, 84, a philanthropic lion in the north Minneapolis community, died May 29 after being hospitalized for breathing problems. His wake is Friday at Estes Funeral Chapel, which he founded 51 years ago.
"Everybody just loved him because he was a jolly person and he had sympathy and empathy for everyone," said April Estes, Richard's teenage sweetheart and wife of 42 years. "I am just lost without him."
Estes, who lived eight blocks from the funeral home, is considered by many to be a neighborhood hero who gave generously and worked to stem youth violence. He spent decades concealing bullet wounds on the bodies of teens killed on the streets of his adopted home of Minneapolis.
He believed that every human deserved to be buried with dignity, said City Council Member Don Samuels.
Estes "not only dealt with the physical wounds, but the emotional fallout," Samuels said, adding that the funeral director watched countless teens fall apart during services for friends. "Richard would comfort them."
During the 1990s, Estes and his nephew Tracy Wesley invited 15 to 20 teens and gang members into the funeral home every quarter for about six years.
"He wanted to bring these young men in to show what happens after you pulled that trigger,'' Wesley said. "But it left him sad because when he was growing up it was not the predominant thing for a young person to end up like this. It was senseless and just really hard for him to fathom."
