Fundraiser for Don and Mary Teets
Donation protected
For those of us who have been in Punta Gorda all or most of our lives, Don and Mary Teets have been treasured friends and respected fellow contractors for many, many years. If you have not had the pleasure of knowing these fine folks, we encourage you to read their story, shared below.
Don and Mary, who have helped so many people and served this community so tirelessly for the past 20 years, have fallen on desperately hard times themselves. They are humble people and not ones to seek for themselves, but their need is great. We are moved to share their story here in hopes that our wonderful community will come together and lend them a helping hand, as they have done for others so many times. Whether you know the Teets or not, we ask you to prayerfully consider their needs in your charitable efforts this season.
In 2000, Don and Mary moved to Punta Gorda from Michigan. Their close friends, Janet and Richard Wilcox, also relocated from Michigan at the same time, and the Teets lived with them temporarily during the transition. Don helped remodel the Wilcox' home and his skilled workmanship was quickly noted by Tim Towles. Tim, a prominent home builder at that time, began sending his remodeling work to Don, and word of mouth about Don's talent spread rapidly. Don and Mary established Don Teets Contracting during a time when the market was starting to climb and most contractors were too busy or short-handed to manage their workloads. The Teets quickly set themselves apart by focusing on being responsive and reliable, returning every call immediately and only taking on an amount of work that they could responsibly manage.
Don and Mary's remodeling business continued to grow and by 2003 it was successful enough to allow them to purchase a 20-acre property on Burnt Store Road. Their plan was to completely remodel the existing house and make it the home of their dreams. Work was well under way on the home remodel when Hurricane Charley struck. Punta Gorda was devastated, but miraculously, the partially remodeled house on Don and Mary's property survived. Many of their 47 employees were not so fortunate and found themselves without shelter. Don and Mary took them in. Together, this extended "family" worked to recover and rebuild from the hurricane. It was a stressful time for all, and the Teets often worked 18-hour days to keep the business running and help their friends recover.
In late 2004, the Teets purchased a run-down old tire shop and completely gutted it to build it out as the new office of Don Teets Contracting. They became active members in many local organizations, including the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce, the Charlotte-DeSoto Building Industry Association, The Future Builders of America, and the Charlotte Technical Center. They also started the talk radio show "House Doctor," where Don shared remodeling advice, and became charter members of the Premier Contracting Group, a referral network of trusted local contractors. Don and Mary poured their hearts and souls into rebuilding our community.
Sadly, the extreme stress of dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Charley took its toll, and in 2005, during a live broadcast of House Doctor, Don suffered his first heart attack. "I was the first person to die on live radio!" he recounts with his typical humor. That year, he received his first defibrillator and a new helper, Buddy the dog. The thought was that Buddy would serve as a therapy animal for Don and he accompanied Don everywhere he went. Soon, Buddy became a therapy dog to Don's clients, too. Somehow, the friendly, furry visitor managed to take their minds off the stress and worries of rebuilding, and allowed them a few minutes of rest and joy with each visit.
As Don recovered, the Teets continued to devote their time and energy to their business and the needs of the community, putting on one of the most successful Casino Nights (Punta Gorda Chamber charity fundraiser) ever and sponsoring many Chamber activities, such as the boat parade, the Christmas parade and the wine station at the Jazz Festival. They became members of the first BNI chapter in Punta Gorda and were such prominent movers and shakers that Harbor Style magazine featured them in an article. These folks were unstoppable, it seemed!
Unfortunately, in 2006, the housing bubble burst and our local economy took a nosedive. Don and Mary continued to pour their efforts into their business and the betterment of our community, but it became harder and harder to stay afloat as the construction industry dried up. They scratched and scraped to hang on, but eventually had to downsize from 47 employees to just 5. Despite achieving the CDBIA's honor of "Remodeler of the Year" in 2007, business continued to decline until in 2009 when the Teets lost their commercial building to foreclosure. With Don's defibrillator acting up and his health continuing to suffer from the stress, Mary opened a new business, "Cabinet Girl," in hopes of reviving their financial security.
The defibrillator that Don received in 2005 was eventually recalled for faulty wiring, and in 2010, he underwent surgery to replace it with a new model. The recession and medical issues continued to take their toll on the Teets' financial picture, and by 2014, they lost their dream home and property and were forced to close Mary's business and declare bankruptcy. They moved into a modular home on Jones Loop and were hopeful that, with Don's side work, they would be able to make the payments. Still, Don's health continued to decline and after a third defibrillator was placed in 2017, they reached the conclusion that they would have to give up the modular home, too. A long-time friend stepped in to help and signed on a mobile home for them. The plan was for them to make the payments with the proceeds from selling the modular home on Jones Loop, which they listed privately in order to save money on realtor commissions.
Interest in the modular has been poor, and it continues to sit on the market. Don's health has now deteriorated to the point that he is not only unable to do side work, but he is too weak to even make the necessary improvements to the mobile home so that they can move into it. He recently spent several days in the hospital with pneumonia and was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure, as well. He has been placed on oxygen therapy, a condition the doctor says will be permanent. Mary struggles to take care of him while doing what she can to make the Jones Loop home more marketable, but anyone who knows the once vibrant and energetic Mary can see that she is exhausted and frightened. She simply does not have the capacity to pull them out of these dire straits on her own.
It seems a cruel turn of fate that these two fine people who have helped so many in our community should find themselves in such desperate circumstances. We believe that there are surely those who will remember the Teets' wonderful support of this community and find it in their hearts to return the favor now that Don and Mary are, themselves, in need. Perhaps even those who do not know them will be moved to help. We can can only ask and pray.
If you are able to give, even if it is just $5 or $10, every penny will be greatly appreciated. Funds will go directly to Don and Mary. We will also be holding a Cornhole Tournament Fundraiser on February 1, 2020, at Beef O'Brady's Punta Gorda (special thanks to Chris Lansdale for hosting and Mike Williams for running the tournament) where there will be silent auctions, a 50/50 and more. We encourage all to attend with generous hearts. If you have items you would like to donate to the auction in lieu of a cash donation, please contact Joe or Diane Becker via Facebook or through their office at Executive Cooling and Heating.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. We are fortunate to live in one of the most generous and supportive communities in the US and have witnessed this community's unique ability to come together and lend a hand to its own. We look forward to working with you all to give back to Don and Mary a portion of all they have shared of themselves over the years.
Don and Mary, who have helped so many people and served this community so tirelessly for the past 20 years, have fallen on desperately hard times themselves. They are humble people and not ones to seek for themselves, but their need is great. We are moved to share their story here in hopes that our wonderful community will come together and lend them a helping hand, as they have done for others so many times. Whether you know the Teets or not, we ask you to prayerfully consider their needs in your charitable efforts this season.
In 2000, Don and Mary moved to Punta Gorda from Michigan. Their close friends, Janet and Richard Wilcox, also relocated from Michigan at the same time, and the Teets lived with them temporarily during the transition. Don helped remodel the Wilcox' home and his skilled workmanship was quickly noted by Tim Towles. Tim, a prominent home builder at that time, began sending his remodeling work to Don, and word of mouth about Don's talent spread rapidly. Don and Mary established Don Teets Contracting during a time when the market was starting to climb and most contractors were too busy or short-handed to manage their workloads. The Teets quickly set themselves apart by focusing on being responsive and reliable, returning every call immediately and only taking on an amount of work that they could responsibly manage.
Don and Mary's remodeling business continued to grow and by 2003 it was successful enough to allow them to purchase a 20-acre property on Burnt Store Road. Their plan was to completely remodel the existing house and make it the home of their dreams. Work was well under way on the home remodel when Hurricane Charley struck. Punta Gorda was devastated, but miraculously, the partially remodeled house on Don and Mary's property survived. Many of their 47 employees were not so fortunate and found themselves without shelter. Don and Mary took them in. Together, this extended "family" worked to recover and rebuild from the hurricane. It was a stressful time for all, and the Teets often worked 18-hour days to keep the business running and help their friends recover.
In late 2004, the Teets purchased a run-down old tire shop and completely gutted it to build it out as the new office of Don Teets Contracting. They became active members in many local organizations, including the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce, the Charlotte-DeSoto Building Industry Association, The Future Builders of America, and the Charlotte Technical Center. They also started the talk radio show "House Doctor," where Don shared remodeling advice, and became charter members of the Premier Contracting Group, a referral network of trusted local contractors. Don and Mary poured their hearts and souls into rebuilding our community.
Sadly, the extreme stress of dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Charley took its toll, and in 2005, during a live broadcast of House Doctor, Don suffered his first heart attack. "I was the first person to die on live radio!" he recounts with his typical humor. That year, he received his first defibrillator and a new helper, Buddy the dog. The thought was that Buddy would serve as a therapy animal for Don and he accompanied Don everywhere he went. Soon, Buddy became a therapy dog to Don's clients, too. Somehow, the friendly, furry visitor managed to take their minds off the stress and worries of rebuilding, and allowed them a few minutes of rest and joy with each visit.
As Don recovered, the Teets continued to devote their time and energy to their business and the needs of the community, putting on one of the most successful Casino Nights (Punta Gorda Chamber charity fundraiser) ever and sponsoring many Chamber activities, such as the boat parade, the Christmas parade and the wine station at the Jazz Festival. They became members of the first BNI chapter in Punta Gorda and were such prominent movers and shakers that Harbor Style magazine featured them in an article. These folks were unstoppable, it seemed!
Unfortunately, in 2006, the housing bubble burst and our local economy took a nosedive. Don and Mary continued to pour their efforts into their business and the betterment of our community, but it became harder and harder to stay afloat as the construction industry dried up. They scratched and scraped to hang on, but eventually had to downsize from 47 employees to just 5. Despite achieving the CDBIA's honor of "Remodeler of the Year" in 2007, business continued to decline until in 2009 when the Teets lost their commercial building to foreclosure. With Don's defibrillator acting up and his health continuing to suffer from the stress, Mary opened a new business, "Cabinet Girl," in hopes of reviving their financial security.
The defibrillator that Don received in 2005 was eventually recalled for faulty wiring, and in 2010, he underwent surgery to replace it with a new model. The recession and medical issues continued to take their toll on the Teets' financial picture, and by 2014, they lost their dream home and property and were forced to close Mary's business and declare bankruptcy. They moved into a modular home on Jones Loop and were hopeful that, with Don's side work, they would be able to make the payments. Still, Don's health continued to decline and after a third defibrillator was placed in 2017, they reached the conclusion that they would have to give up the modular home, too. A long-time friend stepped in to help and signed on a mobile home for them. The plan was for them to make the payments with the proceeds from selling the modular home on Jones Loop, which they listed privately in order to save money on realtor commissions.
Interest in the modular has been poor, and it continues to sit on the market. Don's health has now deteriorated to the point that he is not only unable to do side work, but he is too weak to even make the necessary improvements to the mobile home so that they can move into it. He recently spent several days in the hospital with pneumonia and was diagnosed with Congestive Heart Failure, as well. He has been placed on oxygen therapy, a condition the doctor says will be permanent. Mary struggles to take care of him while doing what she can to make the Jones Loop home more marketable, but anyone who knows the once vibrant and energetic Mary can see that she is exhausted and frightened. She simply does not have the capacity to pull them out of these dire straits on her own.
It seems a cruel turn of fate that these two fine people who have helped so many in our community should find themselves in such desperate circumstances. We believe that there are surely those who will remember the Teets' wonderful support of this community and find it in their hearts to return the favor now that Don and Mary are, themselves, in need. Perhaps even those who do not know them will be moved to help. We can can only ask and pray.
If you are able to give, even if it is just $5 or $10, every penny will be greatly appreciated. Funds will go directly to Don and Mary. We will also be holding a Cornhole Tournament Fundraiser on February 1, 2020, at Beef O'Brady's Punta Gorda (special thanks to Chris Lansdale for hosting and Mike Williams for running the tournament) where there will be silent auctions, a 50/50 and more. We encourage all to attend with generous hearts. If you have items you would like to donate to the auction in lieu of a cash donation, please contact Joe or Diane Becker via Facebook or through their office at Executive Cooling and Heating.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. We are fortunate to live in one of the most generous and supportive communities in the US and have witnessed this community's unique ability to come together and lend a hand to its own. We look forward to working with you all to give back to Don and Mary a portion of all they have shared of themselves over the years.
Organizer and beneficiary
Diane Joe Becker
Organizer
Punta Gorda, FL
Mary Duquet Teets
Beneficiary
