Nobody knows the intricacies of Keith Hampson’s life — where he grew up, who his parents were or what explained his distinctive blend of quirky inwardness and gentility. Rumours say it was Asperger’s, but no one knows for sure.

What is known is that Keith found a good place before he died, a solace in the chaos that made sense to him.

It was there, at the Galati Market Fresh grocery store in North York, that Keith also found his kith and kin. Customers and co-workers arranged his funeral and lined the benches for the service Thursday, remembering the 57-year-old with the gentle smile who lay inside the plain, soft blue coffin.

Keith died sometime between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, when his heart lurched and stopped beating. The cops found him crumpled on his apartment floor.

“It’s hard to explain how Keith’s presence was felt or why he mattered to people,” said Gilda Berger, a long-time shopper at the Leslie St. supermarket. “He was a constant reminder of our duty to be inclusive.”

Keith was hired at Galati’s six years ago, after a customer brought him there in the hopes of helping him land a job. Keith was months behind on his rent and on the cusp of eviction, said Grace Galati, whose family owns the grocery chain.

That’s when Keith met Joe Sottosanti, a long-time store manager well-loved in the community. As Gilda puts it: “Every kid in the neighbourhood has come of age working in that store,” because Joe hired them.

When he first laid eyes on Keith, Joe saw an ideal candidate for a job that didn’t exist. So he created it. Keith would be responsible for collecting and putting away shopping carts and grocery baskets.

“There was just something about him where I said, ‘I gotta hire this guy.’ He was perfect,” said Joe.

But Joe went beyond simply welcoming Keith into the Galati fold. He went down to his apartment on Mutual St. and settled Keith’s outstanding debt with the landlord. “I thought if I didn’t help him, he’d be on the street,” said Joe.

Before long, customers and co-workers alike were amazed by the perfectly ordered shopping carts at the front of the store. Keith took pride in his work. He was always punctual and never left early.

Keith himself was soon a familiar sight, sauntering across the parking lot in his Galati’s apron and floppy hat. In his gruff, courteous way, he was known to follow customers to their cars and quietly help them load grocery bags into trunks and back seats.

“He’d just kind of appear from nowhere,” said shopper Elizabeth Vozoris. “He’d take your breath away for a moment, and then you’d realize he was there to help.”

Often, when someone would say hello or good morning, Keith would respond with a gentle grunt, Gilda recalled. But once he grew comfortable with you, the warmth of his spirit would spill out. He’d gush about the fantastical adventure stories he loved, displaying an encyclopedic knowledge of Quidditch and the Lord of the Rings.

“You can’t really explain how it is that people connect,” said Gilda. “He exuded a very happy persona.”

One day, Joe sat down with Keith to fill out the company’s life insurance forms. Joe asked him who he’d like to mark down as a beneficiary.

“You,” Keith replied.

“But I’m your boss,” said Joe, inquiring about family and friends. But Keith never talked about things like that. He’d usually just walk away if it was brought up.

Keith insisted that it be Joe, but Joe was hesitant. In 2005, he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — otherwise known as ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease — which slowly eats away at muscles and weakens the body.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“I told him, ‘I’m going to die before you will,’” said Joe, now 47, his voice thin and wavering. “Who would have thought this would have happened?”

Keith’s stubborn insistence that Joe be his life insurance beneficiary now seems a masterstroke in prescient reciprocity. In death, Keith returned the kindness Joe showed six years ago when he saw promise in him and decided to help.

“Everything Joe did for Keith, it’s coming back to him,” said Grace Galati. “It really is a special story between Keith and Joe.”