'Christmas miracle': New home delivered for Purple Heart veteran and former police chief

Max Sullivan, Portsmouth Herald
·4 min read

YORK, Maine — Tom Barr watched from inside his heated camper as a Christmas gift from the community was dragged up his driveway — a new mobile home.

Just last month, Barr’s home was found ridden with black fungus and deemed unlivable by his friend and HVAC worker Wayne Avery. Within weeks, Avery raised more than $60,000 to purchase a new home for the Purple Heart veteran and former police chief.

Avery finally found a home on the market Monday night. A check was delivered to Concord Home Sales in Epsom, and the new one-bedroom home was delivered by noon.

Tom Barr (left) was in need of a new mobile after his own became infested with black mold. His friend Wayne Avery (right) raised more than $60,000 to help buy him a new one and have it delivered to his Eliot property Tuesday.
Tom Barr (left) was in need of a new mobile after his own became infested with black mold. His friend Wayne Avery (right) raised more than $60,000 to help buy him a new one and have it delivered to his Eliot property Tuesday.

“I can’t believe what I’m seeing,” Barr said. “Hard to believe.”

Avery, who owns Dr. Heat and Mr. Cool HVAC in York, said it will be at least a week before Barr can get into his home due to necessary hookups, permitting and furnishing. He plans to have him there before Christmas.

“That was the huge goal,” Avery said. “To try to make it a Christmas miracle.”

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Barr, 76, has lived on Punkintown Road since about 1970. Before he was a police officer in town, Barr served with the Army in Vietnam, where he was hit by shrapnel in the neck, leading to his Purple Heart. Most recently, he worked for P. Gagnon Oil, where he and Avery were coworkers.

A new 2023 one-bedroom, 48-by-14-foot Eagle River Special mobile home was pulled into Vietnam War veteran Tom Barr's home on Punkintown Road in Eliot. Barr, a former Eliot police chief, saw his home damaged this year by rainwater and black mold.
A new 2023 one-bedroom, 48-by-14-foot Eagle River Special mobile home was pulled into Vietnam War veteran Tom Barr's home on Punkintown Road in Eliot. Barr, a former Eliot police chief, saw his home damaged this year by rainwater and black mold.

It was Avery who discovered that Eliot’s former police chief was living in a mobile home infested with black fungus. Barr had been at his summer home in Rangeley, Maine, when rainwater caused a hole in the roof and the home to develop mold. Avery came to work on his furnace when he saw the mold and said Barr needed to get out of the home.

Since then, Avery has called for volunteers and donations through the Facebook page “York Community Dialogue (Maine).” He has been met with thousands of dollars in donations for Barr, allowing them to tear down the original home, remove it, and place Barr in a camper that would keep him warm until the new home comes.

Avery and his group of volunteers spent weeks looking for the right deal for Barr. He received many messages with advertisements and offers of mobile homes, but many were built before 1978 and would not meet code. Others had attachments that made them difficult to move.

Getting a new mobile home seemed like the best option, and Nov. 27 he identified the one — a 2023 one-bedroom, 48-by-14-foot Eagle River Special. Avery said Concord Home Sales reduced the price from $79,000 to $56,500 after hearing about Barr’s situation. He said he put a deposit down and waited to hear about a delivery date.

Monday night, Avery received a phone call with good news. Concord Home Sales had a delivery cancellation for another customer. The company now had time to come to Eliot the next day. Avery said he cut a check from his business’s bank account to cover the purchase for the sudden opportunity.

“Let my accountant deal with it later,” Avery said.

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Barr grateful for community support

Barr will be able to live in his new home once a mobile home company can come to level and block it. Plumbing and electricity will be hooked up as well.

Barr sat in the warmth of his camper’s pellet stove with his Irish setter Rusty as he watched Avery, Gammon’s Lawn Care and Jack’s Towing help with the delivery. They trimmed branches as they pulled the mobile home down the driveway and carefully dragged the home into place.

Barr said he never expected so many people to come to his aid. The GoFundMe alone raised more than $29,000 with 326 donations. Other help came in the form of donated supplies like six dumpsters from Eldredge Lumber.

Vietnam War veteran and former Eliot police chief Tom Barr, 76, watches from his camper as a new mobile home is brought up his driveway. The home is a gift from hundreds of community members who donated to replace his previous home that was infested with black fungus.
Vietnam War veteran and former Eliot police chief Tom Barr, 76, watches from his camper as a new mobile home is brought up his driveway. The home is a gift from hundreds of community members who donated to replace his previous home that was infested with black fungus.

Barr thanked Avery for leading the charge.

“It wouldn’t be possible if it wasn’t for him,” Barr said. “He’s really helped me out.”

Avery promised to return any extra donations to the community in some way. The camper that Barr is using as a temporary shelter will go to another family who needs a home.

People who helped Avery said they were moved by Barr’s situation, especially given he was a veteran. Mariann Minard, who helped Avery secure the home in Epsom, said the call for help resonated with every corner of the community.

“It struck a chord with everyone,” Minard said. “People want to help.”

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: New home delivered for York Purple Heart veteran: 'Christmas miracle'