PORTSMOUTH -- Charlie Howard was 23 when he died, 35 years ago, on July 7, in 1984. He was murdered when three boys, ages 15, 16, and 17, threw him off the Kenduskeag River Bridge in Bangor, Maine. He could not swim and they threw him over because he was gay.

A memorial celebration of Howard’s life was held on Sunday at South Church. After the service, attendees each took a white rose and walked to the Memorial Bridge, tossing the roses into the Piscataqua River as a tribute to his life.