Mehari Bokrezion died alone behind the wheel of his taxi a week ago, then waited almost 18 hours to be discovered, as the city kept moving around him.
But his funeral was hardly a solitary affair. His family, initially reluctant to talk about Mr. Bokrezion’s death, spoke with something approaching pride this week about how 500 mourners showed up to say goodbye last Saturday.
They recounted how relatives had flown in from Europe and Canada, and were joined by cabbies from New York, for the funeral service at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, the family’s church in Hamilton Heights in Manhattan. Mr. Bokrezion, who was 59, was buried in Oakland Cemetery in Yonkers.
“The funeral was like a pope’s funeral,” said his sister, Ghenet Yemane, 62. “I have never seen such a funeral.”
Mr. Bokrezion, an Eritrean immigrant who had driven a taxi for the same company, Susan Maintenance Corp., for about 25 years, parked at a taxi relief stand on Thompson Street near Canal Street in SoHo in Manhattan, at 12:34 p.m. on Aug. 8. He closed his eyes; soon, he died.
To the world, he looked like he was just taking a nap. No one questioned why the taxi was parked so long, despite a sign warning taxis they should stop for one hour at most. The city’s life went on around Mr. Bokrezion, people going to work at the two boutique hotels on the block; taxi drivers taking a break.
Mr. Bokrezion was finally found about 6:30 a.m. the next day, Aug. 9, after his wife of 22 years, Alem Yemane, called his taxi company and said he had not come home the night before. A taxi dispatcher checked the cab’s GPS device and told Mrs. Yemane where he was parked.
Mrs. Yemane and Mr. Bokrezion’s brother Michael then found Mr. Bokrezion, about the same time a passer-by called 911. The taxi was locked. Emergency Medical Services and the police soon arrived, broke the window and removed Mr. Bokrezion’s body.
It was later determined Mr. Bokrezion had died of complications from cardiovascular disease. Relatives said Mr. Bokrezion had a history of heart problems. He had an angioplasty procedure about five years ago after having a small stroke, they said.
Ghenet Yemane said she often asked her brother if he was getting regular checkups. He always said he felt fine.
Mr. Bokrezion was born in the village of Digsa, Eritrea, in 1958, the eldest son of 10 children, family members said. In 1975, Mr. Bokrezion joined his parents in New York City, where he graduated from Louis D. Brandeis High School on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Other family members later joined them.
He was always with his brother Michael. For a time, they lived in California, where they shared an apartment and Mr. Bokrezion worked as a manager at Budget Rent A Car. After they moved back to New York, they shared an apartment until Mr. Bokrezion married in 1995. Still, Michael Bokrezion lived next door in their fifth-floor West Village walk-up apartment building.
Mr. Bokrezion “was a beautiful man,” said Haben Yemane, 36, his nephew. “He lived a good life, very happy, very positive. He kept no worries.”
