Help Amber and Kids After Loss

Eugene Metcalf passed away November 15th, 2020 after a suffering a large brain bleed (subarachnoid hemorrhage presumably from a ruptured aneurysm) the beginning of October. He leaves behind Amber, his wife, as well as their 4 children, Audrey (9yrs), Avileen (5yrs), Gabriel (3yrs) and Tobias (4 months).

It was always Eugene’s desire to provide for his family so that Amber could stay home with the children and be a full time Mom. Amber has not worked outside the home since the birth of their second child in 2015 and has been dedicated to running the household and homeschooling the children. Our hopes are to raise several months' worth of expenses so that Amber may remain home with the children as they all adjust and prepare for this new chapter in their lives.


Though 2020 has been challenging, it was also full of blessing for the Metcalf family. After looking for a new career and much prayer, Eugene enrolled in Tulsa Welding School night classes in January and completed his welding training with perfect attendance and excellent grades in August, all while still working full time and welcoming the newest addition to the family in mid-July. He was thrilled to put his newly-learned skill to work with his bittersweet job change in May of this year when he moved to Sunglow and began welding aluminum awning frames. The job brought much joy to Eugene as he thoroughly enjoyed getting to know his new coworkers and boss.

He celebrated his 38th birthday in September with many friends and family and much fanfare. He had great hopes and plans for the years to come.


Why $12,000?

Eugene’s income had been about $2200 a month and was going to rise, but in addition to regular expenses, Amber and Eugene had taken out a student loan for the welding school. The loan’s current balance is approximately $14,000, and payments will begin in January. Raising $12,000 for the Metcalfs will provide five month's worth of expenses while Amber finds solutions for loan repayment. The payoff amount for their mortgage is approximately $24,000. Funds above and beyond the GoFundMe goal will be put toward these balances and reduce Amber’s monthly payments in 2021.

Buying this time for Amber will give her the flexibility to find new ways to earn some income from home or other creative ideas that allow her to still focus on raising the children.

Who is Behind this Fundraiser?

We are family and friends of Eugene and Amber Metcalf, raising money for Amber to meet several months of expenses until she figures out a new situation. She and the four children (ages 9, 5, 3, and 4.5 months) will find ways to earn from home. Jared Buswell (brother-in-law married to Janice, Amber's sister) is managing this fundraiser with Amber and Janice, and all funds go directly to Amber from your donations through GoFundMe.



Can I Give by Check? Will There Be Fees and Taxes?

Amber will not have to pay taxes on your gifts through this GoFundMe fundraiser, and your gifts will not be tax deductible. Every donation will be considered as personal gifts by the IRS, and they'll go directly to her bank account. GoFundMe does not charge you or Amber any fees, but about 3% of each donation will be deducted for credit card processing.

If you prefer to give by check (no 3% processing fee), you can mail one written to Amber Metcalf to the following address. You will not receive public recognition on this online fundraiser, but Amber will receive your gift and your note directly. This address is not her home, but it can securely receive mail and packages for Amber and the kids:

Amber Metcalf
7331 S Olympia Ave,
#306
Tulsa, OK 74132

You are welcome to call us with any questions or ideas for helping out. Also, Jared will be monitoring comments here on the GoFundMe page.



Here is Amber’s Facebook update that she shared November 25th:

Friends and Family, this is a post I had every hope would be different but the time has come. Eugene passed away Nov 15th, we laid him to rest today in the presence of family and friends.

We were camping with our congregation for the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) the beginning of October and on the first of the 8 days, Eugene hurt his shoulder hauling an ice chest. I took him to the chiropractor on Monday, a couple days later, who put a rib back in place and did a full adjustment. He started having a headache shortly thereafter. We assumed it was referred pain that would subside after all the muscles settled down. It did not. Thursday night it became unbearable and he lost feeling in his legs. We rushed him to the ER where they found a large brain bleed (subarachnoid hemorrhage), presumably from a ruptured aneurysm. He became unresponsive and stopped breathing shortly after arriving at the ER.

He was life-flighted to St Francis, October 9th and remained on a ventilator. I spent the next few weeks back and forth between the hospital and the house, visiting him daily while wonderful friends provided meals and cared for the kids. Many of you have been supporting us in prayer as well, though I chose to not post publicly until now.

It has been a long 48 days, but God is faithful and has given me complete peace at every major step. He has brought amazing people into my life and given me much encouragement. The children are doing well, they have handled everything like troopers though of course there have been tears.

As I said, I feel complete peace. I feel that I have done all that God has asked of me in this time and process. We shot for the fences and trust God for the rest. This too is for the good.

Eugene has an amazing legacy in the people he has touched and in his family. He always asked “Which is better? A long life or an honorable death?” His answer “An honorable death.” He spent his last days with the people he cared for deeply, serving and teaching, letting nothing hold him back. He was cooking over a grill enjoying the company of friends the last night and singing praise and worship. Through the pain of the ride to the ER he was singing this song...



Thank you for your prayers, love, and generosity.