Paul Anthony Thorpe, Jr.’s wife, Shondell Thorpe, was nothing short of the love of his life.
They married in 2012, having had a child the same year. Since then, Shondell became a stay-at-home mom, but she also enjoyed spending her time at Baker Street Repair with her husband and his coworkers and customers.
The laid-back atmosphere of a mechanic’s shop provided plenty of opportunity for everyone to get to know each other and become something of a family.
When Shondell died earlier this December, many frequent clients of Baker Street Repair even came to her funeral to show their support.
But with Christmas approaching, the need to help the man who kept their vehicles running spread throughout the whole county, starting with Baker Street Repair itself.
“Of course, I work here and my best friend owns the business… we’ve known each other since we were kids… (But) everything is so overwhelming, so I turned everything over to him if anybody wanted to make donations so I could make sure the arrangements were all taken care of,” Thorpe stated.
Many people around Adair County have held auctions, donation drives, and raffles for cakes and Christmas trees. Some people have purchased Christmas gifts for Thorpe’s children directly from their lists.
“My son, he’s pretty easy to buy stuff for during Christmas but I don’t know the first thing about a 12-year-old little girl. My wife took care of all the girly things, and I just paid for it,” Thorpe smiled.
One search on Facebook will reveal countless posts of individuals offering goods and services to benefit Thorpe and his family.
“It’s unreal. When my wife passed away last Monday, I had $15 in my pocket,” Thorpe said. “I didn’t know how things were going to happen. We were in the process of doing insurance and that night, I was just upset and I didn’t know what I was going to do. So, I posted on Facebook my PayPal link (in case) somebody wanted to send some money to help me. The next thing I know, the funeral was paid for. Her grave plot was paid for. And the headstone was paid for… And it’s not just (Baker Street Repair). It’s many businesses here in town… in all honesty, I don’t know if there is a business in town that hasn’t reached out or tried to help in some way… it is (also) many individuals, it’s friends, it’s family… I can’t even name every one.
While having so many people on his side during this period has been immediately helpful financially, it has also given him the space needed to be at home and present with his children. Thorpe tells them every person who donates to ensure they know who has helped them in the wake of their loss.
“I’ve met a lot of people and made a lot of friends. Literally the entire community of Adair County and Columbia has reached out and done something for me in some form or fashion. It doesn’t matter if it was a prayer, hug, money donation, brought us food. It’s just everybody.”
By Kenley Godby
kenley@adairvoice.com
