Help Local Veteran With Funeral Expenses

Hello everyone. My name is Glenn Kowalski. I’d like to tell you a little story about a gentleman named Ernie Hill, a local veteran residing in Geneva, IL.  Ernie delivers for Ambrogi's Pizza, a local pizzeria in Elburn, IL.  In the spirit of true transparency, my family or I don’t know Ernie very well, but have had enough interactions with him to motivate us to set up this Go Fund Me page.

 

Ernie has been delivering pizzas to us for a couple of years now. Probably more often than he should be!  With every delivery, you wouldn’t think Ernie had a care in the world. He is always cheerful, positive, and so full of energy. Always smiling, wearing Santa hats at Christmas while delivering pizzas, sporting his Veterans hat at other times. I know he brings that same cheerfulness and energy to every pizza he delivers to the residents of Elburn and the surrounding community. Before leaving the house, he would always say “see you next time!”. Truth be told, we actually looked forward to seeing Ernie the next time!

He is very passionate about what he does. For example, Ernie rang our doorbell during one delivery, but we didn’t hear it. We were on our back deck with family and friends, enjoying the summer day/evening and having a good time. Next thing we know, here comes Ernie climbing up our deck stairs (about 13 of them) to deliver our pizzas. Now Ernie is no spring chicken. But he climbed those stairs with a big smile and was as friendly as can be. Ernie took the pizzas out of the bags, set them on the table for us, and of course before he left, he said, “see you next time!”

 

Most recently, just after the New Year, we ordered a pizza, and of course, we were hoping Ernie would deliver it. Ernie did not let us down. But this time, Ernie was not his usual self. There was a bit of small talk, and when I wished him a Happy New Year, I could see the tears welling up in his eyes. Ernie stated it wasn’t a Happy New Year so far, as his wife had passed away on Christmas Day. I was shocked and at a loss for words. I managed to offer my condolences and our prayers to him in his time of sorrow and grieving, but it didn’t seem to be enough.

Because we were so taken aback by this news, I inquired with the restaurant to see if we could send something to the restaurant for Ernie…flowers, a donation to a charity etc.

The owner of Ambrogi's was so appreciative that we had reached out to see what we could do, he confided in me. Turns out the  owner has known Ernie since the owner was eight years old. At one point, living with Ernie as a child. He mentioned that Ernie’s wife of fifty-four years, Patricia, had Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Ernie was the sole caretaker for his wife. When not caring for his wife, Ernie delivered pizzas, in the rain, cold and snow to supplement the social security benefit he was receiving. The owner stated that Ernie’s wife had fallen and broke her hip just before Christmas. After having the hip surgery, she was at a local rehab facility. Ernie went to visit her on Christmas Day, but she never woke up.

 

The owner indicated he wanted to do something for Ernie but didn’t know what to do or even had the time to do anything, given that he was working seven days a week trying to keep his business open.

As if things hadn’t been tough enough for Ernie, amid discussions with the owner over the next few days, about what we could do to help, the owner informed us that Ernie was involved in a three-car accident during a most recent ice storm while delivering pizzas. Thankfully by the grace of God, Ernie was not seriously hurt, but his car was completely totaled.

 

Not only has Ernie lost his wife of fifty-four years, but his ability to earn additional income has been severely limited with his car being totaled. Income that would have been used to pay off his wife’s funeral expenses.

 

This is the story behind our motivation to start a Go Fund Me page for Ernie Hill. This page is meant as a fundraiser that will allow Ernie to pay for the funeral expenses in full, so he will be able to mourn the loss of his beloved wife without also having to deal with the financial burden.

 

We are setting a goal of $10,000.  Any and all funds donated will be provided directly to Ernie.  Every dollar will help Ernie, who needs assistance from a community in which he has delivered much more than just pizzas over the years.

 

  Thank you for your consideration. We know that Ernie can’t wait to get back into the community and “see you next time!”