Help the Goetze Fam Recover from the River Fire

On August 4, 2021, Mike Goetze, a long-time resident of Grass Valley Northern California, lost his home, all his personal property, his business, and his cat, Katy, to the River Fire.

The day before the fire, Mike was in the ER suffering from an adverse reaction to medication. On the day of the fire, exhausted from the ER visit and still medicated, Mike quickly gathered a few belongings in the 30 minutes in which he had to flee. He and his brother escaped with little but their lives, very few belongings, and their memories.

In 1987, Mike and his wife moved into their house on Mount Olive Road in Chicago Park, California and made their house into a home, where they raised their three children. They used to have weekly BBQ’s, pool parties, and volleyball games. The Goetze family was always so welcoming and helped anyone in need, many members of the community attended these gatherings.

In 2019, Mike lost his wife and best friend of 40 years to a five year battle with cancer in this home. To help Mike cope with the devastating loss of his wife, his brother, Shawn, moved onto the property. He too lost his home, which was situated on the property, to the California Wildfire.

Mike built his company, MG Granite, a father & son business, on the land where he fabricated beautiful custom countertops for residents throughout the community. The granite shop contributed to the livelihood of others, by allowing them to use his space and tools. Mike would provide help and guidance as well. The shop, slabs of granite, and the tools that were lost in the fire were worth over $300,000 in value.

Mike can no longer enjoy the comfort of being in his own home, he only has the cherished memories of his grandchildren eating Papa’s pancakes, playing at the pool, and watching him cutting slabs of stone into beautiful works of art.

Please join us in helping Mike and his family to recover from this tragedy.