Donors making home livable again for Cowboys icon Crazy Ray
12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, September 14, 2006
By DAVID FLICK
Time has not been kind to Crazy Ray, but neighbors and strangers are trying to take up the slack.
While Wilford "Crazy Ray" Jones, 75, is recovering from his fourth stroke, local contractors, sponsored by a charity that assists disabled veterans, are renovating his East Dallas home.
The renovation began late last month after a year of false starts and broken promises that began after The Dallas Morning News chronicled Mr. Jones' problems and neighbors' efforts to raise money for his plight.
The man who entertained decades of Cowboys fans in his chaps and white boots gets construction updates while he rests in his third-floor room in a nearby nursing home.
His wife, Mattie, 77, watches progress from the living room window of a neighbor's house, where she has been staying during construction.
"I'm so excited," Mrs. Jones said. "It's amazing what they're doing for us. It's awesome."
In recent years, Mr. Jones found himself broke and in increasingly bad health. Besides the strokes, he has had five heart bypass surgeries and a leg amputation. The strokes have impaired his speech and the use of his right arm.
Glaucoma has left him virtually blind.
But he still has a firm handshake and an abiding faith in his football team. On an afternoon late last week, he predicted the Cowboys would be in the Super Bowl. But he also predicted that Dallas would beat Jacksonville by three touchdowns.
"Tell Mr. Parcells, Ray says, 'Go, No. 1,' " he said with a raised index finger, referring to coach Bill Parcells.
Wayne Walker, a neighbor, has been helping coordinate efforts to aid the Joneses for several years.
"Using the Internet, we were able to raise money to pay off the house and pay the bills, but we didn't have any money for renovation," said Mr. Walker, 31, director of media production at Dallas Theological Seminary.
Though previous fundraising efforts had helped with some household projects, the small 30-year-old ranch-style house was cluttered, run down and full of obstacles to a man in a wheelchair.
Several potential donors came forth to promise money for renovation, but each plan fell through. This year, Mrs. Jones and Mr. Walker waited in line for three hours to be considered for a renovation on the reality show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
They interviewed with representatives of the show but never received approval.
"We were told it was because of the couple's age," Mr. Walker said. "They said they wanted something that people could use for 30 years."
A few months ago, however, Crazy Ray's plight came to the attention of Operation Forever Free, a new Bedford-based organization dedicated to helping members of the military and their families. Mr. Jones served in the Army during the Korean War.
After meeting with Mr. Walker, the organization authorized a complete renovation of Mr. Jones' house, using time and materials donated by contractors and other benefactors.
"He needed help, and we felt bad for him," said Brad Biber, Operation Forever Free director. "His was a situation where we thought we could do some good."
Mr. Walker, who said he had seen previous offers of help withdrawn, was initially skeptical.
"I told them, 'I'll trust you as far as I can throw you – we've heard these promises before,' " he recalled. "But they said, 'We're different, we'll keep our word.' And they did."
Michael Dees, chief executive of Crescent Estates Custom Homes, which is overseeing the renovation, said workers are replacing windows and siding, repainting inside and outside walls, merging the kitchen and living room, and expanding the bathroom to make it more wheelchair-accessible.
The renovation is expected to take a month, Mr. Dees said.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Jones makes daily excursions through the work site and then drives to the nursing home to report the progress to Crazy Ray.
"When I see him, he says, 'When can I go home?' and I tell him, 'You can't go home until they're finished, but then it will be beautiful,' " Mrs. Jones said. "And he always asks me again, 'When will you take me home?' "
By DAVID FLICK
Time has not been kind to Crazy Ray, but neighbors and strangers are trying to take up the slack.
While Wilford "Crazy Ray" Jones, 75, is recovering from his fourth stroke, local contractors, sponsored by a charity that assists disabled veterans, are renovating his East Dallas home.
The renovation began late last month after a year of false starts and broken promises that began after The Dallas Morning News chronicled Mr. Jones' problems and neighbors' efforts to raise money for his plight.
The man who entertained decades of Cowboys fans in his chaps and white boots gets construction updates while he rests in his third-floor room in a nearby nursing home.
His wife, Mattie, 77, watches progress from the living room window of a neighbor's house, where she has been staying during construction.
"I'm so excited," Mrs. Jones said. "It's amazing what they're doing for us. It's awesome."
In recent years, Mr. Jones found himself broke and in increasingly bad health. Besides the strokes, he has had five heart bypass surgeries and a leg amputation. The strokes have impaired his speech and the use of his right arm.
Glaucoma has left him virtually blind.
But he still has a firm handshake and an abiding faith in his football team. On an afternoon late last week, he predicted the Cowboys would be in the Super Bowl. But he also predicted that Dallas would beat Jacksonville by three touchdowns.
"Tell Mr. Parcells, Ray says, 'Go, No. 1,' " he said with a raised index finger, referring to coach Bill Parcells.
Wayne Walker, a neighbor, has been helping coordinate efforts to aid the Joneses for several years.
"Using the Internet, we were able to raise money to pay off the house and pay the bills, but we didn't have any money for renovation," said Mr. Walker, 31, director of media production at Dallas Theological Seminary.
Though previous fundraising efforts had helped with some household projects, the small 30-year-old ranch-style house was cluttered, run down and full of obstacles to a man in a wheelchair.
Several potential donors came forth to promise money for renovation, but each plan fell through. This year, Mrs. Jones and Mr. Walker waited in line for three hours to be considered for a renovation on the reality show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.
They interviewed with representatives of the show but never received approval.
"We were told it was because of the couple's age," Mr. Walker said. "They said they wanted something that people could use for 30 years."
A few months ago, however, Crazy Ray's plight came to the attention of Operation Forever Free, a new Bedford-based organization dedicated to helping members of the military and their families. Mr. Jones served in the Army during the Korean War.
After meeting with Mr. Walker, the organization authorized a complete renovation of Mr. Jones' house, using time and materials donated by contractors and other benefactors.
"He needed help, and we felt bad for him," said Brad Biber, Operation Forever Free director. "His was a situation where we thought we could do some good."
Mr. Walker, who said he had seen previous offers of help withdrawn, was initially skeptical.
"I told them, 'I'll trust you as far as I can throw you – we've heard these promises before,' " he recalled. "But they said, 'We're different, we'll keep our word.' And they did."
Michael Dees, chief executive of Crescent Estates Custom Homes, which is overseeing the renovation, said workers are replacing windows and siding, repainting inside and outside walls, merging the kitchen and living room, and expanding the bathroom to make it more wheelchair-accessible.
The renovation is expected to take a month, Mr. Dees said.
Meanwhile, Mrs. Jones makes daily excursions through the work site and then drives to the nursing home to report the progress to Crazy Ray.
"When I see him, he says, 'When can I go home?' and I tell him, 'You can't go home until they're finished, but then it will be beautiful,' " Mrs. Jones said. "And he always asks me again, 'When will you take me home?' "
posted by The Gryphon at 10:00 AM
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