On the night of March 24, an EF3 tornado with winds up to 155 mph ripped through Winona, Mississippi. One of the homes in its path was that of 90-year-old Korean War Veteran, Mr. Robert Pyron. Mr. Pyron was in his home with his dog, Teddy, when the tornado hit. It completely leveled two outbuildings, destroyed his roof, and lifted the entire house and moved it off its foundation. The Veteran’s home was a total loss and had to be torn down.
Mr. Pyron said, “The tornado moved the house about three feet south and about three feet east. It picked it up, and I thought I was going to take a ride.” Thankfully, Mr. Pyron and Teddy made it through the storm without injury.
Mr. Pyron was born in his family home in Winona, Mississippi on July 4, 1933. The room he was born in predated the Civil War. Mr. Pyron was drafted into the Army in 1953. He served in Korea and then in Germany as a radio operator. He is also a cancer survivor, but sadly lost his wife to the disease two years prior on the very day the tornado struck.
Scott Burns of the charity ‘7 Days For The Troops,’ who also lives in Mississippi, posted on social media after the tornado, asking if anyone knew of a Veteran who might need assistance. A few people reached out to him about Mr. Pyron. Scott then contacted Purple Heart Homes to see if it would be interested in helping Mr. Pyron by providing him with a new tiny home, which we build here at our headquarters in Statesville, NC. The Purple Heart Homes team was touched by Mr. Pyron’s story and immediately began planning and preparing to bring him a tiny home from Statesville to Winona.
We set the 32-foot-long home on a trailer, hooked it up, and on the morning of May 15, after a TV interview and sendoff from Costi Kutteh, Statesville Mayor; and Cindy Sutton, Executive Director of the Statesville Convention & Visitors Bureau, the Purple Heart Homes crew headed out.
Two days and four states later, and at no cost to him, we delivered Mr. Pyron his new tiny home and placed it right where his previous home was located. Now he and Teddy are moved in and enjoying their new home.
Without the help of The Home Depot Foundation; Scott Burns’ 7 Days For The Troops charity, that raised over $37,000 for the project; Wyatt’s Transport; Quick Lift Crane Hoisting and Rigging Services; Rozier Construction; ChristSong Ministries; the community of Winona, and many others, we couldn’t have completed this amazing project.
Welcome to the Purple Heart Homes family, Robert!
