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Marian "Punky" Gronbeck, 462 Berwyn Drive
Dear Midvale Heights Neighborhood Assoc.,
My husband and I saw our friend Jeff Hinds at the West High Class of '74 reunion this weekend, and he told us about the website coverage of the tornado damage. My mother Marian "Punky" Gronbeck is 81 years old, and a 45 year resident of the neighborhood. Her home, that my father built in 1964 at 462 Berwyn Dr. was hit hard by the tornado, the structural damage, excluding the 8 mature trees uprooted and/or snapped off exceeds $20,000.00. What a mess! I thought I would drop you a line, and a couple of photos to convey her experience.
My mother was home alone at the time the storm hit. She had called us, to alert us to the tornado warning, because our horse farm in Albion (about 20 miles southeast) area had been hit twice in recent years. She never dreamed that her neighborhood would be hit this time. I was shopping in Janesville, ironically, for a print for her newly renovated bath at the time, I told Mom to head for the basement, and told the store manager to hold the print for me saying "I'll call you tomorrow, we may be redecorating." My husband Dean, called his parents, on Coney Weston Place, and we ran for the car.
We were barely to Edgerton, when my Mother called again. She said she had gotten down the basement, one step at a time, on her rear end, when she had heard tremendous banging, that the basement door had flexed violently. Thank God for her good neighbors including the Fleers, the Bentons, and Kathy Culbertson (I hope I am not leaving anyone out), that came in immediately, got her out of the dark basement, and saved her furnishings in the south east bedroom where the roof had been torn off (I have enclosed a photo of part of the ceiling from that room), the Madison Fire Dept. was also there in rapid fashion.
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When we arrived, I could not see Mom's house, I left my car at Segoe Park, and made my way through the tangle of downed trees and power lines.
Berwyn Drive looked like an atomic bomb hit, her neighbors garage was in their backyard, giant trees had been plucked from the ground like daisies.
My sister and her husband arrived from LaCrosse a few hours later. On Friday, my friend Marty Salmon (Segoe Rd.) called, she couldn't believe the amount of trees on her house, we joked that we needed to change my mothers address to "third clump on the left - Berwyn Drive," so the mailman could deliver her mail.
By sunset on Saturday night, the last piece of plywood was being nailed over the "skylights" on the south end of the house, and the tarps were stretched to try to keep out the Sunday rains. My mother was lucky that she wasn't injured, and that her two son-in-laws are both contractors, so repairs have progressed quickly to prevent further damage. Many neighbors pitched in to help clean up the trees and debris, including the Bentons, and the tireless Cathy's (Kauffman and Culbertson), and many, many, more stopped by with well wishes, and baked goods
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She lost 8 beautiful mature trees, the power mast to the house, the southeast corner of the roof, gable and soffit, more than a dozen fractured rafters, bricks and flue tops from the chimneys, and water damage, and debris in the house. She is in good spirits though, she says my father (who passed away in 2001) built her a strong house, just a few feet too long. We are all saddened to hear that her neighbors daughter was injured by the electrical grounding just a few homes away, and we have her in our prayers.
Thank you for your website,
Dean and Signe Gronbeck-Johnson |
