MARYSVILLE – Offers of help poured in Wednesday for Jerry Goforth, whose house burned down on the day of his wife Margie’s memorial service.
“Everybody wants to help. It’s really nice,” Goforth said. “I’ve got a lot of friends, a lot of support.”
His bank gave him a $200 gift certificate, the American Red Cross provided a $110 voucher for clothing, and friends have offered furniture, he said.
Donations also are being collected for him at all branches of HomeStreet bank.
“That makes it a little easier,” he said.
His Marysville home was gutted by fire Tuesday, five days after his wife Margaret “Margie” Goforth died of lung cancer.
The home was insured, and he plans to rebuild there. But there’s no replacing the destroyed memories he and his wife shared for 24 years, he said.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The Snohomish County Fire Marshal’s Office said it can’t rule out a pile of waste burned the day before in the backyard.
Jerry Goforth, 62, said he thought the pile of old furniture and other items had been extinguished.
“It just took a spark, I guess,” he said.
He expects it to take up to a year to rebuild his home.
Reporter Katherine Schiffner: 425-339-3436 or schiffner@heraldnet.com.
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