Rhea Holmes, a 55‑year‑old woman in Syracuse, was found living in Oakwood Cemetery after spending more than six months sleeping on a bench there. She had been volunteering at a nearby food pantry during the day and returning to the cemetery at night, saying it felt like the only place she still “owned” after losing her home.
Her homelessness began after her husband died suddenly in 2020—the same day their offer on a house was accepted. Grieving, she used the down payment to buy him a cemetery plot and bench. Over the next few years she fell into depression, lost her job, and was eventually evicted. She avoided shelters and chose to stay at the cemetery instead.
When Officer Jamie Pastorello learned about her situation, he stepped in to help: paying for a hotel room, arranging temporary housing through a local college, and connecting her with the nonprofit A Tiny Home for Good. Holmes now lives in a tiny home, and she and Pastorello have remained close, recently sharing a warm reunion filled with hugs and laughter.