Help Ileana and Barry Rebuild Their Home

In the early hours of Friday, February 4, 2022, our parents, Barry and Ileana Ingram lost everything to a vehicle fire that consumed their entire home in Ortley Beach, NJ in less than an hour.

Barry was home by himself with their dog, Jack, while Ileana was in Pennsylvania visiting her youngest son and his family. He awoke just after midnight to the sound of a loud bang and got up to investigate and saw through the window that his truck was fully engulfed in flames in their driveway. He knew he needed to get out of the house, as the fire was rapidly growing thanks to the high winds that night. He grabbed Jack and his cell phone, and left through the storm door on the third floor, thankfully making it out of the house and to the ground floor safely. He immediately called Ileana to tell her the fire was spreading to their home and they stayed on the phone with each other as all that they owned went up in flames.

A house fire in-and-of itself is completely devastating, but it was all the more devastating to Barry and Ileana as they already had to rebuild their lives and home just shy of ten years ago when the storm surge from Hurricane Sandy tore through their section of Ortley Beach. They persevered through the months of rebuilding on the ruins of what Sandy left behind, and came out of that storm with a newfound love of a very different looking Ortley Beach and the beautiful home they had raised and re-built.

Anyone who knows Barry and Ileana is fully aware of the love and pride they both take in their home. Ileana loves to spend her time decorating, rearranging, and planting to create a warm, welcoming slice of paradise in the middle of the Jersey Shore. Barry was responsible for their house being known by locals and renters alike as the pirate ship house, adorning their decks, fences, and outdoor spaces with pirate flags, kites, buoys, and anything else nautical that he could nail, screw, or zip tie to any available surface. Their home brought an immediate smile to both adults’ and children’s faces alike that would drive or walk by, and the home they had created would draw complete strangers in for photos and chats that could last for hours and develop into lifelong friendships.

The fire mercilessly destroyed their home, cars, clothes, and all of their earthly possessions. They have a very long road ahead of them as they rebuild their lives for the second time in less than ten years. As everyone has been asking what they can do to aid them practically, we have set up this fundraiser to help them as they start to recover. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers in the coming weeks and months.

Barry and Ileana are two people who give so much happiness to everyone around them, and we thank you earnestly for wanting to support them with anything you are able to give to help them restore their home and the joy they have brought to so many of you as neighbors, friends, and family.