Anonymous Donor Pays Off $360,000 Mortgage For Man Who Lost His Wife And Home In Landslide

April 26, 2015

Tim Ward and his German short-haired pointer, Blue, both survived last year's landslide in Oso, Washington. His wife was one of 43 people killed in the slide, and his home one of the 42 destroyed.

Credit: Mark Harrison/The Seattle Times

One year later, an anonymous donor who read Tim's heartbreaking story in news coverage of the landslide's anniversary has paid off the $360,000 mortgage still owed on the home.

"He contacted his banker and said he wanted to help," Darcy Donohoe-Wilmot, a spokeswoman for Chase Bank said of the JPMorgan Chase private-bank client. "He said, 'How much is the mortgage?' and said he wanted to pay it off."

Donohoe-Wilmot said the deal was completed last week and that Ward has not been told the identity of the donor, who chooses to remain anonymous.

According to state and federal damage assessments last year, 30 of the 42 homes in the destroyed neighborhood were primary residences. None of those 30 had landslide insurance and almost all belonged to low-income families.

Credit: Seattle Times.