Family and friends pay tribute to Good Samaritan

PHILADELPHIA (WTXF) It's been a year since a Good Samaritan found a disabled man in a Cobbs Creek Park. Tonight, family and friends released balloons in his honor and remembered his lifesaving actions.

It was a year ago this week, FOX 29 met Fitzroy Anderson who gave God all the credit for what he'd just done.

Fitzroy spotted some deer and followed them to Cobbs Creek Park into the woods where in the darkness, he thought he saw an animal, covered up. He left but something told him to come back and when he did, he found it wasn't an animal but a man. Police say a quadriplegic man was allegedly left by his mother. Fitzroy saved his life.

"He really was bothered by it. It brought tears to his eyes. He was hurt to see a human life laying there like that," his daughter said.

On Friday, they all came back to that park Not just to remember what Fitzroy did but to remember Fitzroy himself. He took a little fall last month. It was nothing too serious; however, when he went to get checked out at the hospital doctors came back with astounding news.

"He called me about 12 o'clock that night just screaming. And I said what happened to you? And he said, 'The doctor said I have lung cancer, and it spread all over my body,'" his daughter Tenicia Anderson explained.

Three weeks later, Fitzroy was dead. He died at 56 years old.

On Friday night. family came from across the country to release balloons in his honor and share stories of man who wanted to make others happy.

He worked at Mercy Hospital for 21 years and they say you wouldn't find anyone who took more pride in his work. Fitzroy wasn't a doctor. He was a custodian and working a last-minute double shift was never a problem.

"He never said no. Always did it. He's just a sweet nephew. Kathleen Douglas

He made an impression, even on FOX 29's Brad Sattin when he met him a year ago and asked him for a favor. So impressed with his attitude on life, Brad asked if he could get a picture. As he seemed to do with any request, big or small, he said yes.

His funeral will be held Saturday.