Sitting outside, beer in hand, George Smith laughed with old friends and managed a few moments of fun at a June 16 picnic after a period of loss.
George, 86, and Joanne Smith, 88, have been residents of Redfield Estates for more than 50 years. On June 3, their house burned down on Meadow Drive. The couple lost most everything including their two dachshunds and 10 cats that they loved dearly.
While some communities would have offered the Smiths an offer of vague sympathy and moved on with their lives, residents of Redfield Estates and the Smiths’ long time neighbors stepped up to the plate. The neighbors organized a picnic dinner in George and Joanne’s honor that was hosted Friday, June 16. The picnic was open to all residents of Redfield Estates. Donations to help George and Joanne were encouraged.
When Joanne was presented with all that her friends and neighbors had done for her, she was moved to tears.
“They are all so great,” she said. “They are all so kind.”
George said that the Redfield community wasted no time in helping him and Joanne out by providing them with pillows, blankets and other necessities.
“On the day of the fire, they went out and bought us the clothes that we are wearing now,” George said. “I also think that on the day of the fire they told us they were going to put together an event for us.”
Barbara Dempsey, an organizer of the picnic, said the entire community has come out to help since the day of the fire.
“People were just showing up right and left,” Dempsey said. “We took invitations [to the picnic] to every neighbor in the neighborhood, and had a good response.”
The picnic showed just how supportive and friendly the Redfield community is, attendants said.
“It’s a shame that it takes such an unfortunate thing to get everyone together and hang out, but it also means that this is a great place to live,” said Redfield resident and Edwardsburg High School Vice Principal Joshua Borne.
More so than just being neighborly, residents of Redfield were moved to attend the picnic due to the way that the Smiths treat others.
Redfield resident Chelsea Huffman said that George and Joanne regularly took time to invite her daughter, Alice, into their home, and that they always treated her and Alice with kindness.
“George and Joanne are two very nice people,” Huffman said. “They’re just great people. It was really scary what happened.”
In addition to planning the picnic, the Redfield community has tried to help the Smiths in other ways, including hosting a burial ceremony for their lost pets, Dempsey said.
Despite the losses they have faced, George and Joanne are looking toward the future.
The couple recently moved into senior living facility, The Hearth at Juday Creek, in Granger, Indiana, where they will stay until George is able to rebuild their home.
Though Joanne was affected by the loss of her animals and still cannot bear to think about them, she is excited that The Hearth will allow her and George to own two cats. Joanne is currently looking to adopt a couple of older cats from a local shelter.
“We are still figuring things out,” George said. “But we are doing pretty good since the fire, all things considered.”
Those wishing to donate to George and Joanne should send contributions to their temporary residence at the Hearth at Judy Creek, 6330 N. Fir Road, Granger, IN, 46530, Apt. 223.