Community mourns remembers how they helped a Libertyville homeless man: 'We want to mark his life'
Randy Foss Randy
They aren’t the only ones. An unknown person made a cross out of plywood  painted it blue and added letters that read “RIP Randy.” The memorial was left on a bench in downtown Libertyville.  Foss  was known for quietly sitting on benches outside the former Caribou Coffee and the Methodist church.
“Most of the time  he  wasn’t one to talk   he  just liked being around people ” Mason said. “When the restaurants closed  people would bring  him  leftovers. Commuters from the train would say hello to  him .”
“There’s nobody else to pay anything  and I knew  Randy   I took care of  his  parents.  He ’d stop by and visit me from time to time ” Dane said. “Anyone from Libertyville who has a problem and passes away  I’m not going to let them sit in a morgue.”
Struggling to make ends meet in job after job  Mason said  Foss  felt abused by landlords.
 He  eventually moved back into  his  mother’s house until she sold it in the early 2000s and moved into an assisted living facility that prohibited overnight guests  Mason said. His mother died in 2004  according to her death notice.
“When she died  that’s when he was truly  truly homeless ” Mason said  noting that in her video  Foss  talked about keeping valuable possessions in his mother’s apartment and occasionally sneaking in to sleep on the couch.
 Foss  was arrested numerous times over the years for offenses like public intoxication  public urination  and failing to appear in court  according to news reports.
At one point in  his  homelessness  a butcher in downtown Libertyville let  Foss  use the store’s address for legal documents and for job applications  according to Mason. The store is now out of business.
For a while   Foss  would rake portions of a Libertyville cemetery and clean a memorial for veterans  but Mason said that ended when visitors complained about a homeless man using the water spigot to clean his clothes.
Rick Kambic / Pioneer Press Among the few known possessions of  Randy Foss  were grade school art projects  his  mother kept. The items will be on display during a Feb. 5 memorial at the United Methodist Church of Libertyville. Among the few known possessions of  Randy Foss  were grade school art projects  his  mother kept. The items will be on display during a Feb. 5 memorial at the United Methodist Church of Libertyville. (Rick Kambic / Pioneer Press)
Mason’s brother Tim worked for the Methodist church and for a while would pay  Foss  to do janitorial services and allowed  him  to use the facility to clean up   she  said.
“During that time   he  seemed so much better ” Mason said. “ He  had a purpose   he  would do work for the church   he  would come to the Sunday services and sit in the back   he  would come when the band was here. Some of that I’m sure got  him  out of the elements  but  he  was participating even when it was nice out.”
However  Mason said her brother took a position at a church in Iowa a few years ago and  Foss  lost that income.
 Foss  was identified and enrolled for “permanent supportive housing ” which is an endless subsidized housing voucher for homeless individuals who have a disability  have been homeless more than a year and rank as “high vulnerability” on a chart that factors risks for mortality.
They aren’t the only ones. An unknown person made a cross out of plywood  painted it blue and added letters that read “RIP Randy.” The memorial was left on a bench in downtown Libertyville.  Foss  was known for quietly sitting on benches outside the former Caribou Coffee and the Methodist church.
“Most of the time  he  wasn’t one to talk   he  just liked being around people ” Mason said. “When the restaurants closed  people would bring  him  leftovers. Commuters from the train would say hello to  him .”
“There’s nobody else to pay anything  and I knew  Randy   I took care of  his  parents.  He ’d stop by and visit me from time to time ” Dane said. “Anyone from Libertyville who has a problem and passes away  I’m not going to let them sit in a morgue.”
Struggling to make ends meet in job after job  Mason said  Foss  felt abused by landlords.
 He  eventually moved back into  his  mother’s house until she sold it in the early 2000s and moved into an assisted living facility that prohibited overnight guests  Mason said. His mother died in 2004  according to her death notice.
“When she died  that’s when he was truly  truly homeless ” Mason said  noting that in her video  Foss  talked about keeping valuable possessions in his mother’s apartment and occasionally sneaking in to sleep on the couch.
 Foss  was arrested numerous times over the years for offenses like public intoxication  public urination  and failing to appear in court  according to news reports.
At one point in  his  homelessness  a butcher in downtown Libertyville let  Foss  use the store’s address for legal documents and for job applications  according to Mason. The store is now out of business.
For a while   Foss  would rake portions of a Libertyville cemetery and clean a memorial for veterans  but Mason said that ended when visitors complained about a homeless man using the water spigot to clean his clothes.
Rick Kambic / Pioneer Press Among the few known possessions of  Randy Foss  were grade school art projects  his  mother kept. The items will be on display during a Feb. 5 memorial at the United Methodist Church of Libertyville. Among the few known possessions of  Randy Foss  were grade school art projects  his  mother kept. The items will be on display during a Feb. 5 memorial at the United Methodist Church of Libertyville. (Rick Kambic / Pioneer Press)
Mason’s brother Tim worked for the Methodist church and for a while would pay  Foss  to do janitorial services and allowed  him  to use the facility to clean up   she  said.
“During that time   he  seemed so much better ” Mason said. “ He  had a purpose   he  would do work for the church   he  would come to the Sunday services and sit in the back   he  would come when the band was here. Some of that I’m sure got  him  out of the elements  but  he  was participating even when it was nice out.”
However  Mason said her brother took a position at a church in Iowa a few years ago and  Foss  lost that income.
 Foss  was identified and enrolled for “permanent supportive housing ” which is an endless subsidized housing voucher for homeless individuals who have a disability  have been homeless more than a year and rank as “high vulnerability” on a chart that factors risks for mortality.