KALAMAZOO, Mich. — Paid off in full.
That's the message Tunnel to Towers Foundation delivered to two southwest Michigan families who lost their loved ones in the line of duty.
Veterans Day is on Saturday. And it's an appropriate time for organizations like Tunnel to Towers to honor the sacrifice of our men and women in uniform by paying off their surviving family members' mortgages.
"This Veterans Day, we thank those who volunteered to step up and serve our country and acknowledge all they sacrificed to keep us and our country safe. For the loved ones of those heroes who protected us at home and abroad, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation stands with you in honoring your loved one’s memory and their enduring legacy of service," Tunnel to Towers Chairman and CEO Frank Siller said.
Van Buren County Deputy James Lear
Van Buren County Deputy James Lear passed away on Dec. 10, 2021, from complications of COVID-19. He contracted it in the line of duty.
Before he was a deputy, Lear served his country. He joined the Army following the Sept. 11 terror attacks and enlisted in 2005. He met his wife Tricia while stationed at Fort Bragg.
After he was medically separated from the Army, he became a law enforcement officer first as an Animal Control officer and then a Van Buren County Sheriff's Deputy in 2014.
He left behind his wife Tricia and their four children.
Lieutenant Ethan Quillen
On Feb. 22, 2023, Paw Paw Fire Dept. Lt. Quillen was responding to a call for wires down after an ice storm when he was killed by falling power lines.
Though he was born in Australia, he moved to the United States when he was six years old. He enlisted in the Marines in 2013 and proudly served his adoptive country.
He switched his career to serve his community as a first responder in 2019 when he joined the Village of Paw Paw Fire Department.
After 13 months of hard work, he earned his first promotion to Lieutenant of Grass Rig 1207. Two years later in 2022, Quillen was promoted once again to Lieutenant of Engine 1201, Paw Paw’s main engine.
He left behind his wife Kaitlyn, and their daughter.
“The kindness, generosity, and peace of mind that Tunnel to Towers has given to me and my daughter in this time of tragedy and sorrow is truly overwhelming. I may never find the words to properly thank you,” said Kaitlyn Quillen.
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation was created in the wake of the 9/11 tragedy. They carry out their mission to "do good" by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children.
You can learn more about Tunnel to Towers here.
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