Building a cycle of support

By Emma Peterson. 

A local contractor and community brought Richard Whitmer a new roof and renewed hope. 

Vietnam veteran Richard Whitmer has been having a rough time. The 74-year-old lost his wife to COVID-19 and has been living on Social Security with a disability. It all came to a head when the local sheriff’s office was called to his home last year, where they found him lying on the floor, unable to move. Richard explained to Focus Daily News, “I fell off my bed and got trapped with my leg under me with no room to move, and nobody was around, and it was raining.” Getting Richard back on his feet necessitated more than helping him off the floor, that rain was leaking through his roof and repairing it was an expensive nightmare for Richard.  

But Richard was not alone. The deputy who helped him back on his feet physically, also gave a call to David Gray, the owner of Trini-D Construction. Hearing about Richard, he came in and repaired the roof for free. But David wasn’t going to stop there. He realized that Richard’s roof was at least 15 years old and was going to need more work. He explained, “As the son of a roofer, I understand fully the challenge this job presents and that there is absolutely no margin for error.” 

Low and behold, water began coming in at a new point in the roof. When David got the call to come back again, he made the decision to reroof Richard’s home – at no cost! He explained, “I decided I would take the proper measures to ensure he received a roof.” To make this happen, he reached out to companies he had worked with before, such as the local Habitat for Humanity, McCoy’s Midlothian, Beacon Building Products, King’s Roll-Off Dumpsters and JW gutters.  

The actual reroof began on Veterans Day 2023, and David was simply thankful that the support came together to make the project a success, sharing, “As a community, we can all make a difference.” He went on to talk about how he is dedicated to making this type of donation an annual thing. Richard expressed his gratitude, “I still can’t believe what he did for me. I feel I owe him everything. When I get another car, I will dedicate myself to helping others less fortunate than I because of the compassion David has shown me.”  

Image source: Focus Daily News