Our Neighbor, Mrs. H.

The story of Mrs. H.’s home begins back in 1949. Mrs. H. was eleven years old when her parents purchased one and a half acres in the Norbeck area and moved the family into the small cinderblock house on the property. While many of her older siblings had already grown up and moved away, Mrs. H. and one of her sisters remained with their parents. When she and her sister got married, they each lived with their respective spouses in trailer homes on the property. In 1971, Mrs. H. and her mother secured funding from the county to build a larger home for the family, and Mrs. H. and her husband raised their children alongside her parents.

Most of Mrs. H.’s extended family still lives in the area, and there are 15 grandchildren and even more great grandchildren that visit Mrs. H. at the family home. Mrs. H. loves to host, and over the years her home has served as the gathering place for the family to celebrate holidays, engagement parties, and births, and to come together for Sunday dinners, summer barbecues, and casual days of quality time spent together. Mrs. H. takes pride in preparing food for these events using the fresh vegetables grown in her garden. She never overlooks a detail to make sure her family knows they are loved, and that in her house, they are always home.  

After supporting the family for decades, Mrs. H.’s home was in dire need of repairs to remain a safe and healthy place for her to live and for her family to gather. The repair projects that took place at Mrs. H.’s home over a series of months were a true labor of love, and we are grateful to all of our partners and volunteers who worked to restore Mrs. H.’s home. To stop major leaking that was causing water damage to the home, our partners at Central Exteriors completed a full roof replacement for Mrs. H. to ensure the home will be dry and secure for years to come. Longtime RTMC volunteers John Vilgos and Scot Weeks installed a clamp grab bar in Mrs. H.’s tub, and she no longer fears falling while using the tub. During NRD this past Spring, volunteers from Neelsville Presbyterian Church, led by House Captain Craig Arold, completed the final series of life-changing repairs at Mrs. H.’s home. They replaced six windows, repaired railings and trim boards, fixed leaking downspouts, repaired damaged ceiling beams, repaired heating ducts, re-caulked the bathtub, and installed new light fixtures and new GFCI outlets.

We are so glad that these repairs will allow Mrs. H. to remain safe and healthy in her home for years to come. But more than that, restoring Mrs. H.’s home will also allow her to continue to host the gatherings that mean so much to her family, bringing them together to celebrate life and honor their legacy. RTMC is proud to have been a small part of their story.