For the Wojtasik family of Parkman Township, Dec. 13 was the perfect storm, when fire destroyed their century home, most of their possessions and their five children’s Christmas presents.
Homeowner Ted Wojtasik, a truck driver, had just had surgery to repair a shoulder he had hurt on the job. His wife, Sue, had lost her job two weeks before, when her position was eliminated. Ted’s mother, Donna, and her husband, Ken, were staying with them in an apartment above the garage. Ted and Sue’s son, Thad, daughter-in-law Sarah, and their five grandchildren, all lived in the large home, as the family prepared for Christmas.
That Wednesday evening, Parkman Township Fire Department firefighters were out working in frigid, blowing snow to rescue a motorist entrapped in a vehicle under downed power lines.
When Sarah Wojtasik walked upstairs to get a battery for her son’s toy, she smelled smoke and discovered the attic was on fire.
“They think it was electrical, but there’s really no way of knowing, because there’s nothing left of the upper floors,” Sue told the Geauga County Maple Leaf on Friday.
“They think it started in the wall of a closet and a spark set the attic above it on fire,” she said. “It was in flames before we knew it was happening.”
Working smoke detectors were located on the lower floors and had not gone off.
The family quickly evacuated and 15 local fire departments responded to the blaze, which destroyed the second floor and attic of the home.
Sue said the house would need to be demolished. The loss was insured, but not for replacement value.
“The policy won’t cover replacing what we had,” she explained, adding the policy would pay for about two-thirds of the cost of rebuilding a house of that size.
According to Geauga County property records, the house, at Main Market Road and Church Street, was built in 1884 and was 2,900-square-feet in size situated on more than two acres.
“We’re not sure what we’re going to do,” said Sue. “We could build something smaller. We just don’t know yet.”
As they sort — with the help of volunteers — donated clothing, supplies and other household items, and take inventory of what was salvaged from their home, they are staying temporarily at Punderson State Park, about 20 miles away in Newbury Township.
“Everything’s going as smoothly as it can,” she said, adding the five grandchildren living with them, ranging in age from 2 to 15, had a good Christmas thanks to the help of many volunteers.
“The kids did really well,” Sue said. “We got a lot of community support. The North Randall Fire Department came out in an antique fire truck and delivered a gift for each one. They were able to play on the fire truck and it was a nice break for them, for a little while.”
On Christmas Eve, there was a knock on the door of their hotel room.
“A girl said, ‘We have this turkey dinner for you,’” Sue said. “I thought she meant a turkey for me to cook, but there it was, a cooked turkey dinner with mashed potatoes, stuffing and all the trimmings. It was wonderful, and a great change from pizza and takeout chicken.”
She said she had never seen the girl before.
“I guess she knew somebody in my family,” Sue said.
Punderson Manor House gave the family the use of a party room for their Christmas celebration, which included 25 family members.
The Wojtasiks have taken in 32 foster children over the last 11 years, and adopted two of them. They have six children and 16 grandchildren.
“We took in siblings, wanting to keep them together, and teenagers,” Sue explained. “It makes me feel good when they come back for a visit and give me a hug. It’s good to know we made a difference in their lives and it is good to watch some of them grow up.”
The family’s future might look a little cloudy at the moment, but Sue is glad no one was hurt in the fire and that the family could remain together as they plan their future without their house of 20 years.
“For now, we found a duplex in Parkman that we can rent both the upstairs and downstairs,” she said. “We don’t know how long we will be in there, but it’s close to the house as we sort things out.”
The family still needs some furniture, including dressers, a working refrigerator and a portable dishwasher.
“We are still sorting things and we don’t know yet what we still need, but we know we will need furniture, and probably towels and other items,” Sue said. “We think we have enough clothes and the kids have an abundance of clothes. Anything we don’t need will be donated to family services for others.”
Gas cards are especially welcome, since the family is currently commuting frequently between Punderson and Parkman.
“We will know more about what we still need after we move into the duplex, which we hope will be next week,” she said.
Sue said the family is grateful to all who stepped forward to help, and has been surprised at the number of strangers who have become friends during this challenging time.
“People have been so generous. (Cardinal Schools) has been wonderful, as have the people in the community. We’re grateful to so many. Family, friends and even people we didn’t know,” she said. “People stop by and identify themselves, say the live just up the road and ask if we need anything.”
Added Sue, “We’re staying focused on the positive instead of the negative. Everyone has been so nice. Maybe this summer we’ll have a pig roast for everyone, to thank them. We are very lucky.”
