J&A HVAC PROUD TO DONATE & INSTALL A FURNACE TO VETERANS IN NEED
Watch the full interview video and story from KDKA here.
In the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, two local veterans received the gift of warmth – a new furnace.
Raymond Webb (age 60) and his wife Stacey Webb (55), of Braddock, are both veterans. Ray served in the United States Army as a tank commander from 1979-1983, and served two of his years in the service in Germany. Stacey served in the United States Marines from 1984-1988. The Webbs both volunteer at the Shepherd’s Heart Fellowship, and Raymond also volunteers with the Veterans Court as a defendant mentor.
Video courtesy of KDKA (CBS Pittsburgh).
Raymond and Stacey’s furnace was 21 years old, and had poor gas lines with no shut off.
The furnace was not keeping a consistent temperature in their home, and ultimately leaving them in the cold. When Anthony Passatore, owner of J&A, heard about Raymond’s story and the condition of his furnace, he knew he and the crew at J&A needed to step in and help.
Anthony Passatore found out about Raymond Webb’s story through local reverend Mike Wurschmidt, who has known Raymond Webb for 20 years. Passatore is a regular at Gianna Via’s Restaurant in Whitehall, and at one recent visit to the restaurant, he noticed a large crowd in the restaurant’s party room. He asked co-owner, Tony Machi, what group was in the party room. Machi explained that each Thursday morning, the restaurant does a special breakfast for veterans. This sparked Anthony’s interest, as he’s been looking to give back to a veteran in need. Tony Machi connected Passatore with Rev. Wurschmidt, who is a founding rector at Shepherd’s Heart (a church in Uptown), and an executive director at Shepherd’s Heart Veterans Home. When Anthony called Rev. Wurschmidt, he knew exactly who to tell Anthony the furnace should go to – Raymond Webb and his wife Stacey.
Anthony immediately hopped on the phone to talk to Raymond, thank him for his service, and offer him a gift that will last for decades – a new furnace to keep his home warm during the cold winters in Pittsburgh. Raymond was stunned, surprised, and overcome with joy by this true act of kindness.
The new furnace was donated by Home Depot Pro, and installation labor was done by the team at J&A South Park. The installation included a new furnace and a new thermostat.
Raymond and his wife could not have been more thrilled by the generosity of Anthony Passatore and the team at J&A South Park.
This story was picked up by a variety of news stations, including WTAE, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and KDKA.
Images courtesy of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Images courtesy of KDKA.
J&A has donated and installed furnaces in the past, and wanted to make sure this year the furnace went to a veteran in need.
“My motivation is to give back to veterans, to make a difference in someone’s life,” Passatore explained. He added, “It felt good to know that somebody really appreciated what we were doing and it felt good for me to know that I was making a difference in somebody else’s life.”
