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Less than two weeks after an early morning blaze at Avenue Liquors killed two employees, around 40 community members congregated Friday night at Red Morton Park to honor them, some recounting stories and memories.
Benigno “Benny” Nuguid Pare, 56, the manager of the liquor store, was one of the two who died in the fire. He had a wife and four children in the Philippines and would tend to the shop 80 or so hours a week, according to attendees at the vigil.
The other was Anil Kumar Sharma, 25, from India, who had a wife and two kids, residents said. Both men worked well over full-time to send as much money as possible to their families back home and were believed to be sleeping at the store when the fire broke out.
The two men were revered by the community, as the shop had been frequented every night since their passing by patrons who’d leave thoughtful offerings and exchange kind words.
On Friday night, Pastor Mark Tumney of Peninsula Covenant Church led a service before dozens at Red Morton Park to honor the two men, which was followed by an open mic for members of the public to share touching stories about them. The vigil was streamed to Pare’s family in the Philippines and organized by frequent customer Amy Anthony.
“He knew Jesus,” the pastor said of Pare, who would regularly play Christian music inside of Avenue Liquors, “not the distorted cultural versions that were given of Jesus, but the real Jesus, the one who walks with the broken hearted, the one who brings people together.”
According to attendees, after roughly 15 years of shopkeeping, Pare finally felt he had saved enough money to fly home to the Philippines and reunite with his family at the end of the month, residents said. One of his daughters just graduated from nursing school.
“Seeing how many lives he has touched is just remarkable,” one mother in the neighborhood shared. “I loved him more than I ever like loved anybody.”
Another resident recalled his close relationship with Sharma, whom he described as a “quiet, sullen guy,” though as a “boisterous” customer, he “broke him out of that.” On one trip to Avenue Liquors, he said he noticed that Sharma had tears in his eyes. Sharma told him that his mother had died. The two embraced, crying, comforting each other.
“He was so far from his family,” the man said, “and he was doing this again, like Benny, to send money home to take care of his family.”
Caden, a child, remembered once when he was walking home from school one day with his sister and she asked to “go to Benny’s.” The two didn’t have any cash; They just wanted to say hi to the shopkeeper. Pare not only gave them two free root beers, but Caden said he told them, “You can pay me by paying forward my kindness.”
Alberto, an employee of Prima Deli, which is just a few doors down from Avenue Liquors, said he saw Pare at 10 p.m. the night before he died. Pare was “very emotional” that day, Alberto said, and wanted to go back to the Philippines and retire. Alberto recalls hugging him and telling the congregation, “He did not deserve this.”
Anna, the owner of Roosevelt Wash N Dry, a laundromat in the same strip mall as the liquor store, said she had a “sick feeling” when she heard the plaza was on fire, initially believing her shop was on fire. But after her husband rushed in the early hours to see what had happened, and informed her that Pare’s car was in the lot, but nowhere to be found.
One week earlier, Anna said, she insisted that Pare come to karaoke at the Redwood City Elks Lodge because he’s always singing and had “amazing” music in his shop. He said he couldn’t because he worked late, but Anna insisted he rearrange his schedule.
Residents underscored the community-building legacy that Pare has left behind, noting how they’ve connected with so many neighbors and shop owners in the wake of his death.
Little has been disclosed by the Redwood City police and fire departments regarding the fire, which they began around 5:30 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 3., at the store located at 2147 Roosevelt Ave. Emergency responders opened the roof of Avenue Liquors to find the two bodies inside, with “severe burns.”
Authorities have not publicly addressed why the individuals were inside the building when the fire began, but as residents said, the two were sleeping inside the store. Officials are working to determine the cause of the fire and the events leading up to it. According to the initial press release, the store owner is cooperating with the investigation.
The building’s facade is not noticeably charred, though a noxious smell was detectable hundreds of feet from the scene on Monday. The strip mall parking lot was closed to the public and cordoned off with yellow tape for hours following the fire.
Those interested in contributing to a GoFundMe fundraiser for Pare’s family in the Philippines may do so through this link.
This remains an active investigation. Anyone with information about this incident is encouraged to contact the Redwood City Police Department at (650) 780-7100.
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