They were remembered by their given names and nicknames like "Sonshine" and "Pops," an acknowledgment of lives that ended in 2006, usually on the streets of Seattle.

The 25th annual memorial service for the homeless at The Compass Center was much like the 24 that preceded it: a respectful recitation of names of men and women, with a candle lit in the memory of each one.

		Gilbert W. Arias / P-I
	A participant places a candle and the name of a homeless person on a table at the Compass Center on Friday as part of the 25th annual memorial service for those who died on the streets of Seattle. The 142 remembered this year included a 76-year-old man found under the Alaskan Way Viaduct, a man who accidentally overdosed on pain medication and a women who jumped out of a hotel.

This year, the list numbered 142, an increase of 22 from 2005 but down seven from 2004.

"I wanted to pay tribute," said Percy Hilo, who lit candles for a handful of the deceased and had been homeless at times in his life. "These people aren't given the dignity by society as a whole, so we gather to give them the dignity."

He sang Utah Phillips' "I Remember Loving You," a wistful love song, one of several musical interludes during the 70-minute service.

Most of those honored died in Seattle; others spent their last days in Shoreline, Renton, Kent and Enumclaw.

They included a 76-year-old man found under the Alaskan Way Viaduct, right outside The Compass Center, in November.

"He wouldn't let you get close. He'd wave everybody away," said Pastor Sue Wanwig, chaplain for 13 years at the center, which provides transitional and emergency housing. "He looked like he could be that old, but the idea of someone (that age) sleeping out in the open -- I was amazed."

Most of the deceased were men in their 40s and 50s. Many left stories behind.

One man had months of sobriety, helped others get into counseling, but later died after accidentally overdosing on pain medication, Wanwig said. Before that, he had been a hunting guide and an accomplished gardener, known for his flowers and vegetables.

Another man, who died of cancer, had served in the Navy and was aboard a ship within sight of a Soviet ship during the Cuban missile crisis in 1962.

"He said it was the biggest game of chicken in history," said Joe Martin, a founder of the Pike Market Medical Clinic, who participated in the service with co-worker Shelley MacElveen.

One woman died after jumping out a window on a summer Sunday afternoon.

		Gilbert W. Arias / P-I
	Shirley Morrison of Seattle listens Friday as names of the deceased are read during the 25th annual memorial service for the homeless at The Compass Center.

"She was alone. There are people who, for whatever reason, don't have anybody in their lives," MacElveen said.

Not all the deceased were technically homeless at the time of death.

"We include people who have been homeless but are living in subsidized housing (and still remain) in the street community," Wanwig said.

The agency compiles its death list from information from the King County Medical Examiner's Office, social service agencies, shelters and other sources. The list is not an official accounting but serves a purpose.

"Reading the names and remembering each person reminds us that much work is left to be done to address the reasons why so many people in our community are homeless," said Rick Friedhoff, executive director of The Compass Center.

Also remembered as a "special friend of the homeless" was Pastor Nyer Urness, another chaplain at the center, who died last year.

After a final candle was lit "for those who remain nameless," participants said a litany, sang "Amazing Grace" and, fittingly, "This Little Light of Mine."