HOMOSASSA — Dozens of people formed a line down the hallway of the Hospice where Christopher Becker was spending his last days.
Fellow teachers. Old students. Guys he played bingo with at the Lions Club. Friends from political circles.
And so on, and so on.
"It was mind blowing," said his brother, Mike Becker.
It went on until 7 p.m. Sunday, when Mr. Becker told his brother he was too tired to see anyone else. On Wednesday, he died after a short battle with lung cancer. He was 49.
His social network is no shock when you read his resume.
He taught in Citrus and Hernando counties. He worked for unions and education groups. He belonged to the Southwest Citrus Democratic Club. The League of Women Voters. Peace Now Citrus County. The National Alliance on Mental Illness. Lions Club of Homosassa.
And so on, and so on.
"He had a very keen sense of justice," said his brother. "He refused to sit by and watch things go on that were wrong in his view."
Mr. Becker was raised by educator parents in Illinois. He was a rebel, with long hair he refused to cut. He taught at Lecanto and Brooksville elementary schools. He once ran for Citrus superintendent. This year, he took a post helping special-needs kids.
Once, he dressed in green, stuck his arms out and pretended to be a Christmas tree. Students decorated him. Another time, when he walked into the cafeteria of a school where he used to teach, students erupted in cheers.
"He was good with our kids," said Sam Himmel, Citrus superintendent. "You could see him just get excited."
He never held his tongue.
When the staff at Brooksville Elementary anointed desks with holy oil before Florida Comprehensive Assessment Tests last year, he complained. He wasn't a Christian; the act offended him.
At a 2004 meeting for John Kerry supporters, he spoke up. "Everything that's come out of the Bush administration has worked to dismantle public education," he said in the St. Petersburg Times.
"He believed in standing up for what he felt was right," Himmel said. "Chris and I butted heads a couple times, but we were able to sit down and talk about it and agree to disagree, and he was okay with that. Then, we'd sit and just gab about things."
His openness was part of his appeal, friends said — you knew what he was thinking.
As the cancer got worse, he would often call his brother into his room, just to let him know one thing.
"I'll be fine."
Stephanie Hayes can be reached at (727) 893-8857 or shayes@sptimes.com.
.Biography
Christopher Becker
Born: Aug. 7, 1958.
Died: April 2, 2008.
Survivors: mother, Mary Alice Becker; brothers, Charles Becker, Michael Becker and his wife, Liz, John Becker; sister, Kathy Salvato and her husband, Joe.
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