CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - The family of a Rogers Park man who survived a brutal attack outside a bar a decade ago is looking for help in laying him to rest following his death last month.
Alicia Webb still doesn't know why her uncle, Michael Davis, died in his apartment on New Year's Eve.
She told WBBM her other uncles found their 53-year-old brother after they couldn't get a hold of him that day. Back in June of 2013, Davis stopped a fight at a Rogers Park pub - only to be jumped by two of the men as he walked home later that night.
The baseball bat beating left Davis in the hospital and rehab center for months, learning how to walk and talk again.
"It was a very tough balance for him because he knew he was blessed to be alive, but it was also incredibly scary, and, for a few months, the people who did it were still out on the street," Webb said.
Webb said her charming uncle never regained use of his right hand.
"He battled depression because he was such a charismatic person. He was a bartender and a waiter as a career, and, following the attack, he physically could not work , Webb said.
Her family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to pay for Davis' funeral, saying he lived on disability after the attack - unable to work or afford life insurance.
Anthony Rudon and Tremaine Gallimore were sentenced to prison for the attempted murder of Davis.
The Illinois Department of Corrections says Gallimore is up for parole in August, while Rudon was released in 2019.
Davis' family is waiting for autopsy results and planning a public memorial next month so friends and people who followed his story can gather to remember him.
"He knew so many people. He touched a lot of people, even before the attack, and, then, people became inspired following his attack, wanting to know more about him and his story," said Webb.
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