Community Raises $157K for WWII Vet Whose Home Burned Down: 'There's a Lot of Good People in This World'

Jason Duaine Hahn
·2 min read
Paul Roberts
Paul Roberts

GoFundMe

Nearly $157,000 has been raised to help World War II veteran Paul Roberts get back up on his feet following a fire that destroyed his New Jersey home.

Roberts' house caught fire on March 14 while he was getting ready for bed, according to a GoFundMe campaign set up by the 94-year-old's neighbors.

"He opened [his bathroom] door and saw black," a description on the page explained. "He thought the lights went out. He took one breath in and realized it was a fire, so he dropped to the floor and crawled out the back door."

The former Marine and retired mailman immediately went to a neighbor's home and called for help, but the only items to survive the blaze were a collection of his photo albums. Everything else was lost.

Roberts' neighbors are now hoping to raise enough money to provide him with financial support. Even before the fire, they said, Roberts had been struggling to pay bills using his pension.

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"At 94, Paul knows he only has a short time left with us," the GoFundMe organizers wrote on the page. "He was hoping he could stay in his home until his death, as he has been a staple here in Ship Bottom for over 50 years."

"Paul would like to be able to end his time here on earth in his favorite place," they explained. "He had insurance, but because the house was so old, most of the construction was out of code. Within three days the town notified him that he must have the house torn down. We are hoping with crowdsource funding, we can give him the resources to help him in rebuilding a new house."

But the blaze isn't the only tragedy to befall Roberts.

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Roberts lost his daughter, Joan, to a rare disease, as well as his son, Mark, GoFundMe organizers said. His home was also flooded in 2007 during Hurricane Sandy, but we eventually had it restored.

"It's a great place to live, I'll tell you," Roberts told ABC station WTVD.

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But his neighbors couldn't be happier to lend him a hand when their help was needed the most.

"He's the whole neighborhood," neighbor Richard Obermayer told the news station. "He's like the mayor."

Roberts is grateful for everything his community and the many people online have done for him.

"There's a lot of good people in this world, I found out. I don't know what I would have done without them," he told WTVD. "I appreciate everything. God bless you all."