August 1, 2023
93-year-old Emsy E. was always doing physical work and was very strong. That’s how his daughter, Adrian remembers him, “he worked installing commercial refrigerators and equipment for restaurants in the Austin area.” Adrian says. When he wasn’t working. Emsy was passionate about raising and training German Shepherds and Greyhounds at home. Emsy spent his early years in Manor, Texas, and after high school graduation, enlisted in the US Army, where he served during the 1950s. He met and married his wife, Eunice, in Austin, Texas, and was able to move into their current home on the East side on their wedding night in May 1960. They have been there ever since.
The original home was small but comfortable. With the addition of two daughters, Emsy added another bedroom and bathroom to the floorplan. But as his daughter remarked, “After we left for college, there wasn’t any more work done on the home.” Time took its toll and the home, like many homes in the area, had major foundation and roof repairs that needed to be done, and with Mrs. E. using a cane, there was always the concern of a fall in the house.
Emsy’s daughter discovered the Meals on Wheels Home Repair program through a friend at their local church. “My sister and I knew there were major repairs that were needed,” says Adrian, but with our own homes to care for, we didn’t know how we could afford all of them.” The family applied to the program and were quickly approved. Now, because of the generous funding from The Home Depot Foundation, Thier home has a new roof and repaired foundation, widened doors for accessibilty, along with grab bars in the bathroom and new floors. They are especially happy about the handrails that lead up to the front porch, their favorite place to sit when it’s cool enough. “We feel good about the house. It looks a lot more spacious,” notes Adrian. “We were blessed and fortunate to find your program.”