Letter: Patriarca family thanks Grafton Fire Department, community

I just want to take a moment to say thank you. That does not even begin to express our gratitude for all of the help and thoughts and prayers our friends and family have sent our way since the fire.

While it is difficult to keep all of the ‘what ifs’ from playing in our minds we are just so thankful that our family is safe. This experience while extremely difficult has made us all realize what an amazing support system we have. Our friends, family, neighbors and co-workers have all pulled together to help us in any and every way possible.

I always joke that I have three families, my blood family, my work family and my taekwondo family but this experience has proven that to me beyond any doubt. So many people have been there for us and there is no way we will ever be able to thank them enough.

The Grafton Police, Fire and EMS did an amazing job and because of them and neighboring first responders we were able to save more than I ever would have thought possible when I first arrived at the house. Many of them stayed late into the night last Wednesday to help us pull pictures and memories from the house. They went above and beyond in everything they did and we can’t thank them enough.

The community has supported us in so many ways and we feel truly blessed to be a part of the Grafton community. We do want to let everyone know that we are doing fine. The kids have started back to school and seem to be handling everything better than I thought possible. The insurance company is setting up our temporary housing on our property and we hope to be back there as early as next week so we can begin rebuilding our home. This entire experience has been a reminder to us all that it’s the people in your life that matter not the possessions.

With Sincere Thanks and Appreciation,

The Patriarca Family

A 3-alarm fire struck the home of the Patriarca family on February 17, 2021.