Jul 24, 2009  |  By: Amy Cavanaugh  | COMMENTS     

Desi Deschaine, the gay communications director for D.C. City Council member Jack Evans, was buried this week at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Bristol, Conn., after his death in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor following a boating trip.

Sgt. Jeffrey Chaney, the Baltimore Police Department’s LGBT liaison, said the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner ruled Deschaine’s death last Sunday as an accidental drowning. Deschaine was 30.

Neil Alpert, Deschaine’s long-time friend, attended the funeral and described the turnout as “amazing.”

“The funeral home was packed and his parents lined the walls with pictures from throughout Desi’s life,” he said. “While we were sitting there in the funeral home, a number of us waited for Desi to walk through the door. When things like this happen so suddenly it takes a long time for it to sink in.”

Alpert added that “at Desi’s age, his parents didn’t have a plot for him yet, and when they reached out to the cemetery, they were able to get a plot at the top of the hill.”

“I know Desi liked to be involved with everyone, and his final resting place overlooks the entire valley where he grew up and got his first taste of politics and government, which is in Bristol, Connecticut,” he said.

Jeff Coudriet, a committee clerk for Evans and old friend of Deschaine, said a D.C. memorial service hasn’t been planned yet.

“We were waiting until after the funeral and all; I expect we’ll have a planning meeting this week and [the] first task is to find a good date for the family to be here for it, venue, etc.,” he said.

Last week, Craig Max IV announced that he had started a non-profit organization, the Deschaine Foundation for Excellence in Government (www.deschaine.org), a “nonpartisan foundation that will focus its efforts on research and public policy initiatives that promote best practices in government and public service.”

He said the foundation is considering a program that would “recognize members of the D.C. community that represent the ideals that Desi had and that he lived and demonstrated in his life.”

Max said he knew Deschaine from the time he moved to D.C. three years ago and that they met through political activities. Max is the vice chair of the D.C. Republican Committee.

“My partner Michael [Curat] and I were invited by Desi to join them on the boat that night,” he said. “Unfortunately we didn’t and I’m still dealing with a little guilt about not taking advantage of what would have been my last chance to see Desi.”

Max said he decided to launch the foundation to “make the best out of a truly tragic situation.”

“We wanted to make sure we had something in place to be able to show Desi’s family at the time of the wake and funeral that those of us who love Desi and were affected by him here in D.C. were taking steps forward to preserve his memory in our hearts and minds,” Max said.

Max, an attorney and CPA, said Deschaine’s boyfriend, J’aime Huret, will serve on the board, and that he bounced ideas for the foundation “off of other friends of Desi’s as they were available.”

But some of Deschaine’s friends expressed concerns about the foundation.

“I don’t think Craig did anything malicious in any way, and I think he was trying to get ahead of the situation,” Alpert said. “My concern, since I was Desi’s closest friend for 10 years, was that I first heard about this in a press release. In discussing this with his parents, the first they heard about it was when we brought it to their attention. I know he was trying to help, but I think the best way to have done this would have been to reach out and ask his parents and the people who knew him best what he would want.”

Lee Brian Reba, who’s gay and the deputy chief of staff for D.C. City Council Chair Vincent Gray, expressed a similar concern.

“The family was not involved with the foundation, and I feel that if Neil, myself and Jack’s office aren’t aware of anything, we should put it on hold,” Reba said. “I don’t want anybody raising money or using it inappropriately or bringing bad light to this tragedy. The foundation was created within 24 hours of the body being found. Give me a break.”

Reba also said that some friends have unanswered questions about Deschaine’s death.

“Part of me wants to know at what time did everybody individually notice Desi missing, what time did everybody individually or collectively go looking for him, when did they decide he must be sleeping on a boat, and say ‘let’s go home and go to bed?’” Reba asked.