Pryor Daily Times

Homepage

Discussion

Add a comment on this story
March 6, 2006

Chouteau Family Receives Extreme Makeover

Lynn Adair

The last time Ruth LeFan saw her home north of Parker Ranch Road was on Nov. 27 just before she and her family were asked to vacate the premises due to an approaching fire.

LeFan said she had been preparing the evening meal and had noodles cooking on the stove and a turkey in the crockpot when she and her family were told they needed to leave.

“I always thought I would be coming back. I just turned the oven off and we locked the door.

“When we were finally allowed to return the next day, I never expected my home to be completely burned to the ground,” she said.

That incident, nearly four months ago, left LeFan and her family devastated. The fire not only destroyed the family’s double-wide home and three-car garage but all their personal belongings and it also left them with no place to go.

Over the months, the family was forced to move in with relatives, live in a motel and have just recently moved into a rental unit in Chouteau provided by one of the town residents.

Throughout the entire ordeal, LeFan said she has never lost faith and knew that God would see her family through.

She said faith came knocking on their door last week when the family received the “wonderful” news of being selected for Extreme Makeover (Mayes County ) Edition.

The family was selected to have a 900 square-ft. two-bedroom, one bathroom home built where their double-wide was once located.

“We still can’t believe it. We were just totally blown away after we received the news. We’re so excited and thankful,” LeFan said.

Brenda Cunningham, who has become a local contact for the families who suffered loss, said the whole thing started when she received a call two weeks ago from Southern Hills Baptist Church in Tulsa. The church had funds left over after collecting money to help Hurricane Katrina victims and wanted to help someone locally, Cunningham said.

“After meeting with some of the church officials, Cunningham said the LeFan family was selected to receive a new home.

“There were some families who had insurance and if you look all around the areas destroyed by fire, people are rebuilding. But the LeFan family had exhausted all their monies paying off their mobile home leaving with just a small amount to apply to a new home,” Cunningham said.

“We took into consideration that this family was really facing a hardship because they were staying in a nearby motel at the time they were selected. Mrs. LeFan works in Tulsa and her husband has severe medical problems and they have a daughter attending college and living at home. They were really trying to get by but they had a lot of obstacles,” she said.

Cunning ham said the family moved in with relatives after the fire and they had property. They were in dire need of a place to live,” Cunningham said.

After Cunningham consulted with local businesses about helping with the project, donations of materials and labor began coming in. She noted most of the help is coming from businesses and residents in Mayes County.

Caldwell Construction, a local company, is providing the siding and felt for roof. A-Walker is providing electrical work and Country Fever is providing materials for the electrical work.

Brewer’s Construction is providing copies of the house plans. The older men of Southern Hills will build cabinets and complete the inside work for free. NGC Industries from MidAmerica is providing 71 sheets of sheetrock.

Quality Truss is providing all trusses for the house. Marshall Crawford is providing plumbing. Darren Nugent is providing sheetrock labor and Joe Hershberger is clearing the lot and Chouteau Middle School student council will provide flower beds and white rock around the house, Cunningham said.

“We are so thankful for all the donations,” Cunningham said. She said any help with the concrete work, heating and air would be very much appreciated.

LeFan said workers were at the site Friday to begin clearing the debris.

“I have gone from one extreme to another of being sad to being ecstatic,” LeFan said. “I don’t remember what I said last Saturday but I remember crying and hugging everybody. My husband says he still can’t believe it,” she said.

After everybody left, my nephew invited us over to his house and we all we sitting around the porch. I looked over at my daughter and she was crying too.”

LeFan said her dog “Koda” which is a cross between a Jack Russell Terrier and “something else” suffered third degree burns on the pads of his paws during the fire.

“He’s doing much better although we’ve never found our cat,” she said.

“When we went back to see our home the day after the fire and saw everything we once had destroyed--childhood things, pictures of parents who are no longer here--things I had planned on passing down to my grandchildren--things that can’t be replaced, I felt like everything we owned had been taken away and that we had nothing.

“But there’s a reason for everything. I have come to the realization that those were old memories and we have made new ones. I’ve made lots of new friends and rekindled old friendships. God has taken care of us and I’m looking forward to our new home, new friendships and new memories.

“To everyone that helped us. I can never thank you enough. Thank you to all the people who decided to help strangers-someone they didn’t even know. This has restored our faith in mankind,” she said.

“To the people who have lost homes and property from the local fires, don’t give up. There is hope. When it seems like the darkest period of your life, God will come through. Through the help of some wonderful people, God came through for us.”

Text Only