On Daryl’s 62nd birthday, he treated himself to something very special. He and his wife, Theresa, dropped off the check that paid off the mortgage on their house.
In 1998, Daryl, Theresa, their three children and one grandchild were living in the Savannah Oaks apartment complex. They applied to Habitat, and were shown a house which needed renovation. Theresa remembers being brought to tears, seeing its potential. “I was crying because we would have a home for my children and grandson and they would have a huge yard to play in.”
Looking back, Daryl and Theresa remember so many wonderful people who contributed. They specifically recalled the house sponsor for the renovation, Northside Hospital, and the house leader, Ken Miller.
Owning a house changed their lives. Daryl said, “We had a renter’s mentality. We didn’t own anything. We just paid other people. We were the first in either of our families to try to own a home. When you own your own home, you think about it differently. When something breaks, the dishwasher, the toilet, the lights, whatever, I have to fix it.”
The couple has continued to be involved with Habitat. This past year, Daryl worked on another Habitat house, this one sponsored by his employer, Peach State Health Care. He loved working with his coworkers on the house. Working together as a team gave a whole new dimension to the experience.
Now that the house is completely paid off, they are making plans to make it grander. The lot is large enough that they feel they can do anything that they could dream of. They love their home and look forward to living there together for many years to come!