Strangers Unite to Aid Veteran Left Homeless After Tragic Fire

Stewart Eaton from People Magazine

The heartrending saga of Stewart Eaton, a 76-year-old Marine veteran from Maine, has captured the attention and compassion of strangers in Indiana. Since a devastating fire destroyed his home in 2020, leaving him without insurance to rebuild, Stewart has been living in his car.

Though Stewart lived in his car, it’s good to note that he owns his own property and had been on that property; he simply couldn’t afford to rebuild his home due to not having house insurance.

April Wittebort, deeply moved by Stewart’s plight, spearheaded a GoFundMe campaign to provide assistance, with the aim of helping him get the basic comforts that he has been without since the fire. April, along with fellow veteran Mike Kelly and another compassionate person named Ryan Mader, rallied to Stewart’s aid.

“He’s 76 years old and a marine vet during the Vietnam war. He needs a place to lay down and be able to shower, cook and just relax. These years should be comfortable.”

Stewart had been receiving notices from Monroe County ordering him to clear out the debris and trash that was still on his lot. If he didn’t, they would issue a hefty fine.

When representatives from People magazine requested a comment from Monroe County about this, their attorney, Justin Roddey said that, for years, there had been a continuous issue of “solid waste accumulation” on the property.

“This particular case was filed in 2007. It came to our attention recently that Mr. Eaton had again allowed solid waste to accumulate on his property in violation of a Court Order. As a result of this accumulation of solid waste, our office filed a contempt motion with the Court. Historically, Mr. Eaton has been unwilling to keep the property free of solid waste without pending Court action. This has happened several times over the life of this case. This is the Sixth Motion for Rule to Show Cause we have filed in this case due to Mr. Eaton’s failure to comply with the Court’s Orders. On several other occasions the property was cleared of the solid waste only to be filled again shortly thereafter. In many of these instances, the solid waste attracted rodents and other animals creating a health hazard for Mr. Eaton as well as his neighbors. “We recently discovered some of the solid waste on the property may have been removed by Mr. Eaton and other individuals,” the statement added. “We are in the process of verifying this information. The County’s primary concern is that Mr. Eaton’s property remain free of solid waste. We have requested sanctions in the form of monetary civil penalties. However, if Mr. Eaton has removed the solid waste, such fact would weigh heavily on any request we would have for civil penalties.”

Through the help from the community, there has still been some setbacks. Monroe County would only allow Stewart to live in a Federal Emergency management Agency trailer for 180 days.

“That’s just too temporary. I’m working with the housing authority to get Stewart into something temporary for now and working with top tier roofing on designing a tiny cabin that would be more sustainable for him … something that could last the rest of his life.” April is quoted as saying.

After Stewart’s story broke, the GoFundMe campaign raised over $4,600 to date. The generosity and empathy exhibited by those who have rallied around Eaton stand as a testament to the enduring power of community and the capacity for collective goodwill to effect meaningful change in the lives of those in need.

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