Ms. Maggie - Hoover (Bluff Park) Widow

Ms. Maggie's Story: My husband and I bought this home to fix up. It is a 105-year-old historical house in Bluff Park. We knew that his illness (Parkinson’s) was getting very bad and that his time was not long. We needed to find a place where I could live on the income that I would get from Social Security. We had hoped to finish before he got so bad he could not do work around the house anymore. But, his condition deteriorated faster than anyone thought. So for the last 4 years I have been doing things on my own. I enjoy the work and it keeps me busy but a roof is not something that I can not do. My husband passed away in December of 2020 at the age of 68. The last two years he had developed Dementia which is a very horrible disease that usually always makes it’s way into the picture when you have Parkinson’s.  He was a very proud man. A Vietnam war era Veteran. A tugboat Captain, pilot, and business owner. Jon was the kind of man who could do anything and the smartest man I ever met. To watch him lose his mind so fast was heart breaking. I have since been able to join our local church (Shades Crest Baptist) and am in love with my new family. I have found that there is not a widows ministry and there are 4 in my Sunday School class alone so I am praying about starting one. Being a widow is the loneliest statuses there is. You not only lose your husband but, your best friend, your traveling partner, your dinner date, the one you go to to talk about anything, the one you go to for repairs, yard work and all the things that women with husbands sometimes take for granted. I miss him every day. But, I know that he is walking, talking, and enjoying the new life that he has gained in heaven. Someday I will see him again and join him.   

Fun fact about Ms. Maggie is that she is well-known in her community.  Children who live nearby come by her house often after getting off the school bus so she can give them a piece of candy.  We can tell she cherishes these moments with the children.  Housing Hope Foundation will use the campaign proceeds to reimburse Ms. Maggie for her insurance deductible and help paint/repair her house's fascia.