Henry & Ubah Zwanenburg - Fire Recovery Fund

Hi,

My name is John Zwanenburg and I am the eldest son of Henry Zwanenburg.

This past evening on Nov 13th, 2023, my father's barn caught fire and unfortunately was burned to the ground. This was not an ordinary barn but his workshop, his garage and material storage.

Those of you that know my father well understand exactly what that means. For those of you that haven't had the chance to meet Henry, allow me to talk about him a little bit.

My father is turning 72 years old and still works every day as one of the finest carpenters / cabinet makers / installers in the country. He has such a passion and drive for his work that I truthfully don't think he'd ever intended to stop working either in his shop or on a jobsite somewhere. Now, he no longer has the ability to work and provide for his family. His wife, Ubah is as devastated as he is and I can only imagine how my youngest sister Shiloe is feeling.

I spent years learning from him, I apprenticed under him and ultimately built my career around all the skills he taught me throughout the years. My fathers entire livelihood was in that Barn / Shop / Garage. Decades of tools he'd amassed, specialized tools from the 1800's he'd collected from various other shops over the years. Vehicles, construction equipment and thousands upon thousands of hand cut lumber from his own property have been totally destroyed in a matter of hours.

I cannot explain to you the loss he is feeling right now, I can only try to convey in my own words that this place has been his dream for decades and now most of that has been ripped away from him.

Unfortunately insurance will not be covering his losses on these items and I know my father is far too proud to ask for help with this, so here I am. Asking everyone for help. Please help a pioneer of the industry stay on his feet. Help a husband keep his home secure and his wife & daughter taken care of. Help a grandfather keep the property that his grandchildren love to visit.

The goal of this fundraiser is to help Henry rebuild his tool supply. He is unable to perform his work as a carpenter without this help. Please help me to help him.

Any help is welcome. Please reach out to me directly if you need to.

Thanks in advance.

John Zwanenburg