Published Saturday, March 1, 2003
getting
ready
for move
finishing touches
EDITOR'S NOTE: This is part of The Herald's yearlong series of stories following three families affected by the Nov. 10 tornado in Clark and South Pymatuning Township.
Herald Staff Writer
A South Pymatuning Township couple are getting ready to settle into their new three-bedroom house after losing their home of six years in the Nov. 10 tornado.
On Tuesday, the beige- and clay-colored home of Tim Reeher and fiancee Rebecca Campbell was settled onto its foundation on Wynwood Drive.
"It's pretty nice," Reeher said of the house. "Actually, it's beautiful."
Weeks before, Reeher and Ms. Campbell began shopping for new appliances to fill their home. By Thursday they had picked out and bought a new washer and dryer, refrigerator, stove and dishwasher.
"It was a team effort on picking everything out. I just wanted to go with the flow and she wanted to make sure everything fit me too," said Reeher, who uses a wheelchair.
The family can't move in just yet, as there are still a few finishing touches to be made inside. They're also waiting on the patio, sunroof and garage to be built. The basement floor is still being worked on, which is where their two sons 23-year-old Nick and 15-year-old Alex plan to fashion their bedrooms.
"The basement is getting dried out from the snow. There's a big space heater down there," Reeher said.
Reeher and Ms. Campbell have received much support from family, friends and neighbors who have been coming out to see and tour the place. They'll start moving in early April, and Reeher expects more people will come to tour and help.
"I can imagine there'll be people there from everywhere -- kind of like the day the tornado hit," Reeher said. "There's been so many people to the house already, we ought to be giving $1 tours," he joked.
Their temporary residence on Winner Road in Hermitage is the place they've been calling home for the last several months. But those four walls can't replace what feels like home, Ms. Campbell said.
"It's just like the military," Reeher said. "Now we just have to sit and wait."
Ms. Campbell, 44, works at Carini's Restaurant in Reynolds. Reeher, 37, is president of the Shenango Valley Area Scale Modelers and an occasional race track announcer.