Launceston homeless man Daniel Tommerup remembered as ‘respected, gentle’

A homeless man who died after suffering third-degree burns while cooking has been remembered as a “real gentle spirit” ahead of a memorial service this week.

LAUNCESTON’S homeless community is mourning the death of Daniel Tommerup, who has been described by those who knew him as “respected” and “a gentle soul”.

For the past few years, Mr Tommerup had been living on the front porch of Milton Hall on Frederick St, next door to the City Baptist Church.

Believed to be in his 50s, Mr Tommerup died last Wednesday after suffering third-degree burns while cooking outdoors the night before.

Jeff McKinnon, pastor at the City Baptist Church, said he had struck up a friendship with Mr Tommerup and would have a conversation with him “every couple of days”.

“Sometimes they were deep conversations and sometimes not,” Mr McKinnon said.

“He started coming to church for a bit. He came to church right up until his death, really. Not super regularly – but (with) some regularity, without it being every week.”

Mr McKinnon said Mr Tommerup had a “real gentle spirit”.

“I think a lot of people who knew him well appreciated that and saw that in him,” he said.

Daniel Tommerup, a homeless man who lived in Launceston. The local street community is coming together to grieve his passing. Picture: SUPPLIED

The pastor said he believed Mr Tommerup came from Finland originally, and had lived a “tormented” life, battling depression and alcoholism after having served in the military.

“He said to me a number of times, ‘I’m an alcoholic and I’m not proud of it’,” Mr McKinnon said.

“But he was kind of proud of the fact that he hadn’t got into other drugs, that he’d managed to limit himself to the alcohol.”

Mr McKinnon said the church used to make coffee and sandwiches for Mr Tommerup, who was a diabetic, and the pastor would go with him to the pharmacy to help him fill his insulin prescription.

Louise Cowan, president of Shekinah House, a Launceston charity assisting the homeless, said Mr Tommerup was “very well-respected within the homeless street community”.

“The reason I say that is because he was a gentle person,” she said. “He really minded his own business, just did what he could to keep going each day.

“The street community are family to one another, so he will be missed.

“When he was at Milton Hall, you’d see people drop in and sit with him and chat. So he was well known in the street community.”

A memorial service will be held for Mr Tommerup at the City Baptist Church on Wednesday from 2pm.

Mr McKinnon said it would give those who knew him the opportunity to grieve his passing, while his body still remained in the possession of the coroner.