Help Josh Keep The House
Donation protected
I am starting this campaign on behalf of my son's partner, Josh. He and my son, Ryan (age 39), had a loving and joyous partnership for over six years, sharing all aspects of their lives with each other. In March of 2017, they found and bought the house of their dreams; a cute cottage with a beautiful back yard, in a great neighborhood.
On Christmas morning, 2017, Josh came home from work to find Ryan lying on the couch, with two of their cats cuddled up next to him. Josh quickly realized that something was horribly wrong: Ryan was not responsive. Josh tried what he could, but Ryan had passed away in the early morning hours, succumbing to complications from liver damage.
This was such a shock, as Ryan had been under doctor's care and was expected to pull through.
Over the next few days we family members came to Minneapolis to put together a memorial for Ryan and to comfort each other. Over 300 people came to the venue from all around the country to grieve for Ryan, and also to share stories of joy and laughter from his many years of connection with this community. At the memorial, many people wanted to send flowers or something to remember Ryan's life. This campaign to assist Josh is what I think Ryan would have wanted the most.
I helped Josh with the first steps of dealing with Ryan's estate, because the two of them never married. Ryan and Josh shared ownership of the house as joint tenants with right of survivor, so Josh is now the sole owner of the home. But without Ryan's income, the mortgage payments and other ownership costs are too much for him to afford. It seems like such an injustice to follow the devastating loss of Ryan with the loss of the home and the one place he can find comfort in the memories of his loving partner.
I know that Ryan would have wanted Josh to be able to stay in the house if something happened to him, and the only way this can happen is if the mortgage is refinanced with substantially lower monthly payments. Ryan did not have any life insurance. He borrowed against his retirement savings to make the down payment on their dream house. So, there are no other assets that might help.
If we can raise enough money to reduce the balance of the mortgage and support the refinancing of the home on terms that Josh can afford, then my son's dream will really come true: The love of his life will be able to stay in their dream home.
Thank you for helping.
On Christmas morning, 2017, Josh came home from work to find Ryan lying on the couch, with two of their cats cuddled up next to him. Josh quickly realized that something was horribly wrong: Ryan was not responsive. Josh tried what he could, but Ryan had passed away in the early morning hours, succumbing to complications from liver damage.
This was such a shock, as Ryan had been under doctor's care and was expected to pull through.
Over the next few days we family members came to Minneapolis to put together a memorial for Ryan and to comfort each other. Over 300 people came to the venue from all around the country to grieve for Ryan, and also to share stories of joy and laughter from his many years of connection with this community. At the memorial, many people wanted to send flowers or something to remember Ryan's life. This campaign to assist Josh is what I think Ryan would have wanted the most.
I helped Josh with the first steps of dealing with Ryan's estate, because the two of them never married. Ryan and Josh shared ownership of the house as joint tenants with right of survivor, so Josh is now the sole owner of the home. But without Ryan's income, the mortgage payments and other ownership costs are too much for him to afford. It seems like such an injustice to follow the devastating loss of Ryan with the loss of the home and the one place he can find comfort in the memories of his loving partner.
I know that Ryan would have wanted Josh to be able to stay in the house if something happened to him, and the only way this can happen is if the mortgage is refinanced with substantially lower monthly payments. Ryan did not have any life insurance. He borrowed against his retirement savings to make the down payment on their dream house. So, there are no other assets that might help.
If we can raise enough money to reduce the balance of the mortgage and support the refinancing of the home on terms that Josh can afford, then my son's dream will really come true: The love of his life will be able to stay in their dream home.
Thank you for helping.
Organizer and beneficiary
Rick Bolin
Organizer
Tucson, AZ
Josh Sternhagen
Beneficiary
