Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, September 14, 1995 TAG: 9509140104
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
I am so glad my family and I live in the Roanoke Valley. My husband had to retire a few years ago because of diabetes so I went to work at Community Hospital Child Care Center so the family could be insured.
In November, after many tests, doctors determined I had cancer of the lymph system (lymphoia). Treatment consisted of surgery and chemotherapy, and I couldn't work.
People in and around Roanoke have been so good. The employees and parents at the child care center, Ghent Grace Brethren Church, Southside Baptist in Goodview, family, neighbors and friends have all helped make me well. I appreciate the way they have prayed, help pay the enormous health insurance bills, brought food and just plain cared.
It's impossible to name everything. I have received125-plus cards.
The doctor is letting me return to work soon. My parents, other family members, friends and some neighbors have pitched in and painted the inside of the house and do other tasks to make going back to work easier.
This is why I say Roanoke is a great place. It's the people. They care for each other. I would just like to say thanks to everyone for the prayers, the moral support, the financial help and the love.
Martha Brinkley
Roanoke
Dear Neighbors:
As early as May 1995, I started planning a family trip with my wife and two sons, Billy, 21/2; and Lenny,16 months.
The central objective was to come to Roanoke to the Museum of Transportation to view the N&W ``J.'' Billy loves trains, and this engine is his favorite. It's funny how he chose the ``J'' over all the other engines he knows including his father's favorite the Santa Fe F unit.
I called the museum five times from May to June to make sure the locomotive would be on exhibit. I was told ``yes, don't worry.''
I then planned a trip from Pennsylvania to Virginia with the Roanoke museum as the final destination.
All through the trip, Billy would ask ``Are we at Roanoke yet?'' Or he would say, ``We're gonna see the 'J' today.''
We got to the museum on a hot Sunday morning just as the museum opened. But, there was no ``J.'' You should have seen my son's face.
This destroyed our trip because my wife now became discouraged.
I just had to write this letter to you to inform you and your readers how people felt about the bureaucratic red tape that I only guess was involved in delaying the ``J'' exhibition.
Fred Lederman
New York
Dear Neighbors:
On Aug. 27, I was very upset when my car was broken into and my purse was stolen.
However, thanks to the good work of the Roanoke Valley police, and specifically Officer M.A. Villarini, the purse has been returned to me with the contents, except for the cash, intact.
A passerby had spotted the purse (and a couple of others which also had been stolen) in a desolate and rugged spot and had called the police. He didn't have to do that, and it indicates that there are still public-spirited and honest people in our midst.
My thanks also are extended to the finder, Robert Cordell Wilson.
This was indeed a happy ending to a sorry story.
Kathryn A. Macpherson
Moneta
Dear Neighbors:
Recently my wife and I returned to the Roanoke Valley for the weekend to attend my sister's wedding.
What promised to be a wonderful weekend started to turn sour when the restaurant we had chosen for the rehearsal dinner suffered a problem with its air conditioner, on one of the hottest days of the year. The restaurant could do nothing other than apologize for the inconvenience.
Thankfully, the evening was salvaged by some kind people in the neighborhood. Explaining the situation to Joan, the manager at Kentucky Fried Chicken on Williamson Road, and to Angela Payne and her mother, two neighborhood residents, they each provided me with fans to help cool the room we were in. Neither asked for anything in return other than my promise to return the fans at the end of the evening.
I'm pleased to say that I will always be proud to return home the Roanoke Valley. The people in the valley I grew up with have always been concerned about their neighbors, and they aren't afraid to step in and lend a hand.
My thanks to those individuals who helped ensure my sister's weekend was all that it should be.
Mark C. Switzer
Virginia Beach
by CNB