CROOKS FAMILY HOME PAGE
Hello. These are our neighbors, Jon and Becky Crooks.
Be sure to see the update at the bottom of this page.
January 25, 1999: The Crooks Family became our neighbors in July of 1998. They moved here around the same time we did. I guess the kids found each other before the adults did in the two families. When we first moved here, the Crooks Family lived at the bottom of the hill from us. In September of 1998, they moved into the cabin across the road from our house. You must keep in mind, we all live 13 miles from the nearest town, in the middle of the Ozarks woods. Neighbors may not be very close, geographically, here; but, emotionally, neighbors are neighbors here.
These are Jon and Becky's three sons.
The one on the left is Matt, who is 15. The middle one is Josh, who is 12. The one on the right is Zack, who is 9. The kids got to be good friends quickly. They have three kids, and we have three kids left at home. As usual, us adults were busier, and it took us a little longer to get to know one another.
Jon is disabled from a heart condition. He had a heart attack a little over 2 years ago. The family lives on Jon's small disability check. Last Friday, January 22, 1999, their house burned down. They were living in the cabin on a rental for barter basis. They had no insurance. The family was not in the cabin at the time it burned, so nobody got hurt. But Jon and Becky lost pretty much everything they owned. They managed to salvage a suitcase full of Bibles (which the firemen tossed out the window), a small photo album with baby pictures of the kids in it, and a few other small items. Other than that, they lost their furniture, clothes, nic-nacs, tools, dishes, pots and pans, all the food in their cabinets and refrigerator, everything. The pictures of the boys are a little out of date because these were the ones that Becky happened to have in her billfold which was with her at the time of the fire. Their new school pictures were lost in the fire.
Friday afternoon, one of our other neighbors, who is known as Smitty, (Earl DeHaven) opened up a donations account with a beginning donation for Jon and Becky at the First National Bank in Camdenton, Missouri. He also contacted a friend at a local Christian radio station who will be airing the news of their tragedy on the radio. A few other cash donations have come in. Many of our other neighbors, including Loren and Cathy Cyrus, Mr. and Mrs. Harold Asher, Gary and Dianna Boyce and their son, Ricky, and others, have brought by things like blankets, clothes, shoes, pillows, bedding. A consignment store in town called Bear Market donated a hide-a-bed sofa. Tracy Carrol of the Community Christian Church also is the representative here for the Salvation Army (who pitched in $75) and the Red Cross (who has promised $200). Another thrift store, the Lamb House, donated clothing items also. Amy Bennett, of AIB Mfg. in Camdenton, made a cash donation. The Pleasant Hill Missionary Baptist Church (up the road a ways) also took up an offering for the family, even though they have a small congregation. Many people have been very kind in many ways. We have found just how good our neighbors are and what neighbors are all about here. Jon and Becky would like to thank all of those people for everything they have done and all their kindness.
Jon and Becky and their boys have been staying with us for the past few days. They didn't have anyplace else to go, and we have a large house. It will work on a temporary basis. However, they are dreaming of a home of their own. They have located a small place up the road from here not very far. It is a 3-bedroom mobile home located on 13 acres with a well and a septic already in. They are hoping not to use any more of the donation fund than they have to in order to live on, so they can use it as a small downpayment on that place.
In the meantime, we have a 2-room mother-in-law cabin which we are trying to fix up a little for them to be able to stay in until they find a place. It hasn't been used in many years, and needs some wiring and plumbing work done, and a new coat of paint inside. It's not very big, 15 feet x 30 feet overall, which isn't much room for a family of five; but it will hopefully be warm and dry when they get done fixing it -- and it will do for the moment.
All of us would like to help Jon and Becky make this dream come true, to have a home of their own again. We are trying to get the word out so that all of our neighbors that would like to can get involved too. This web page is sort of my little contribution to the effort, as it is something I can do well. The Ozarks is an amazing place. Neighbors are real neighbors here.
March 1, 1999: I guess this is not really a happy ending. It's more of a beginning, but at least it is a happy one. We got in touch with our real estate friend here, Ken Peters, of the Remax agency. Ken helped Jon and Becky find their dream home. A HUGE thanks goes to Ken in this regard, and he also gave up his commission on this sale in order to help them out in view of the fire and all they had lost. Ken is a GREAT guy, and we want to send him a BIG THANKS!! Jon and Becky moved in to their new home over the weekend. They used their income tax refund to place a downpayment on an owner-financed property about 16 miles from us. They are still trying to replace furniture, and they are still sleeping on the floor until they replace beds. You can only do so much at once on a fixed income. They do have a nice hide-a-bed couch in their living room that was donated to them. They also have a refrigerator, a stove, and a microwave. Other than that, they don't have much furniture, but they are sure happy to be in a home of their own again. So, I guess we aren't going to be neighbors in reality anymore; but we will always be neighbors in our hearts.
THANKS TO ALL THE NEIGHBORS AND FRIENDS OUT THERE WHO HELPED THEM OUT. Whether your help was in the form of money, clothing, furniture, bedding, dishes, towels, prayers, blessings, or just plain old good wishes, We would like to thank you. Jon and Becky thank you all also.
Spring, 2000: Jon and Becky became our neighbors again, and members of our community. For more information, please go here: Crooks Corner
You can E-mail Jon and Becky at j_b_crooksfamily@yahoo.com
Come back soon and visit, as often as you would like. God bless you all, and thank you for your help. Please send this web page to your friends also. Thank you for your time.
If you would like to just stop by and say hi, please feel free to sign the guestbook.
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