Remembering

“Sam. The. Man. Burns. What can I say about you that hasn’t already been said?”

By Prince Of Petworth

“Dear PoPville,

Sam the man Burns passed away on March 7. He was such a cornerstone of DC. There is an official GoFundMe here. There has already been a private service for his family, but there will be celebratory events after it’s safe to gather, I’m sure. Here’s something I wrote. -Courtney”

“I love life: all the drama, all the pain, all the passion, all the joys, all the highs, all the lows. We don’t write the script.”
Sam Burns 2002

Sam. The. Man. Burns.
What can I say about you that hasn’t already been said? I know everyone you left in your powerful wake is praying that wherever you are grants you the same healing, magic and salvation you gave to us when you were behind the decks. You were an idol, a god, a mentor, a friend, a force, a man. I am not going to pretend like I knew you better than I did, but I will share 3 lessons that came from you. (more…)

“Ken Nankervis, the former employee of A Litteri, who bought the place about a year ago, died on Thanksgiving Day.”

By Prince Of Petworth


517-519 Morse Street, NE

Mike passes on this very sad news to us: “Ken Nankervis, the former employee of A Litteri, who bought the place from Michael DeFrancisci about a year ago, died on Thanksgiving Day. Very sad. He was only 52.”

From Legacy.com:

“After moving to Annapolis he began working at A. Litteri and was known as the “wine guy” to many. After several years and much hard work Ken became owner of A. Litteri an award winning wine and deli shop located in Washington, DC. (more…)

“It is with deepest sympathy and grief that we mourn the loss of DaMarkus Thomas, a beloved member of the Smoke & Barrel family.”

By Prince Of Petworth


DaMarkus Thomas Memorial Fundraiser via GoFundMe

Joe passes along the very sad news and fundraiser:

“It is with deepest sympathy and grief that we mourn the loss of DaMarkus Thomas, a beloved member of the Smoke & Barrel family. DaMarkus was kind, funny, thoughtful, and an all-around stellar man. His infectious smile could light up any room, and he had a knack for making people want to be around him. (more…)

“We regret to inform you of the passing of Lacey C. Wilson, Jr., the former owner of the Florida Avenue Grill”

By Prince Of Petworth

On Saturday the Florida Avenue Grill posted:

“We regret to inform you of the passing of Lacey C. Wilson, Jr., the former owner of the Florida Avenue Grill @floridaavegrill. In 1970, he purchased the Grill from his father Lacey Sr who founded the Grill in 1944. Lacey served 13 years in the U.S. Marine Corps ultimately as a Gunnery Sergeant and was a Karate Grandmaster. He taught martial arts to numerous black youth in DC at a time when few saw the value in it. He famously defied National Guard orders to leave and defended the Grill with a shotgun for three days and nights during the uprising that followed Dr King’s killing. The Grill was still firebombed but he was able to put the fire out.
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He continued to serve as guide a mentor to our current owner Imar Hutchins. It is due to Mr. Lacey’s determination and spirit that the Grill is now able to celebrate 75 years of serving the DC community. Mr. Lacey was 83 years old.” (more…)

“our hearts mourn the passing of Karl J. Herold who died peacefully on October 12, 2019, he had a long and successful life as Chef and Proprietor of the Old Europe Restaurant.”

By Prince Of Petworth


“In case you’re wondering, Key Bridge, Virginia side, 1960, he was 25…”

Thanks to Tim for passing on from Old Europe (2434 Wisconsin Ave, NW):

“Affectionately known to many simply as Mr. Karl, our hearts mourn the passing of Karl J. Herold who died peacefully on October 12, 2019, he had a long and successful life as Chef and Proprietor of the Old Europe Restaurant. He will be dearly missed by his family, friends and many business associates.

Born in 1935 in Uder, Germany he eventually immigrated from Heiligenstadt, Germany to Washington, D.C. absconding East Germany to create a new life in his adopted homeland in 1960. (more…)

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