The Furr Family Story by Bill Roe.

You have often hear that God works in mysterious ways. I’m going to tell you a story which confirms that story and how this is tied to the Knights of Columbus.

In the year 2013 and 2014 I was Grand Knight of the K of C located in Hot Springs Village. I was contacted during this time by an individual who had received a Christmas basket from the Knights. She gave me the name of Lisa Furr, whose family needed food.

The Furr family consisted of Greg and Lisa Furr and their 4 children ranging in age 15 to 20, the youngest was named Hunter. Both parents were LPN’s. Lisa was unable to work as she had been diagnosed with Lupus and chronic leukemia.

The Knights of Columbus provided this family with food 3 times and I provided them with some needed furniture during the summer of 2013. In November, in my opinion God started directing me to assist this family on a long-term basis.

It all started when the Knights were distributing ham products for a fund-raising project. One of the parishioners had donated 3 boxes of ham products to be given to a needy family.

I contacted the Furr family and learned that Greg Furr had an operation for spinal stenosis which had gone very poorly. He was in the hospital for 3 weeks and almost died. He was being fed intravenously and of course was not able to work. I also learned that Hunter, the youngest had been diagnosed with MS and a brain tumor.

I contacted a fellow Knight who offered to donate more leftover food to the Furr family and also suggested that I set up a fund at a local bank, have an article published in the local paper and ask for donations. I declined these suggestions as I was only offering to help on a short term basis. He also gave me the name of a new Villager who wanted to donate to a family in need.

I contacted this individual who offered to donate $500 and bring it to my house the next day. This phone call changed my view as I believe God had intervened telling me that I needed to help this family on a long term basis.

After getting permission from Lisa Furr to grant an interview and set up a bank account, the local reporter met with the Furr family and an article was published. Approximately 60 people and organizations donated anywhere from $10 to $1,000 to this fund. A total of $19,000 was raised to help this family including moving them from a mobile home in a crime infested area to a very nice duplex area in the Village.

I often wondered why God had chosen me to help this family when I had never done this before. A priest on a retreat told me that God selected me because he knew that I would help this family as an extension of his love for people in need. This assistance to the Furr family obviously helped the Furr family, but it also changed my life for the better. I also had the support of the Knights of Columbus and the individual members contributed to the Furr family.