Dec 22, 2022

Ralph’s story is a simple one. He joined the sheet-metal trade in 1972 and never looked back. During his career, Ralph was employed by Ferber Sheet-Metal and was a superintendent on some very large projects in the Jacksonville, Florida area. Several of these large-scale projects involved notable names such as Anheuser-Busch, Metal Container Corp., Jacksonville Landing Mall, and Cape Canaveral. After a long and successful career, Ralph was able to retire in 2012. About five years after his retirement, Ralph’s wife Isabel noticed that Ralph was having trouble remembering some things, but she ultimately chalked it up to Ralph just getting older.

In 2018 however, Ralph was given the unfortunate diagnosis of Alzheimer’s Disease.

During this challenging time, their family was faced with another difficult problem — the aging infrastructure of their home was causing leakage in their roofing. Now in need of desperate home repairs, the couple didn’t have the funds available to fix the issue. Looking for a practical solution, Isabel began researching online and discovered the Joseph Groh Foundation. The foundation was created to provide information, advocacy and financial support to people in the contracting industry who are affected by life-altering disabilities.

^{Tearing off old shingles revealed that the roof was in rough shape}

As she filled out the application request, Isabel wrote, “We desperately need a roof. With Ralph having Alzheimer’s, he doesn’t want to leave the house. Every time it rains, he sits where it is leaking, and it scares me. I see my husband fading away, and every day a little part of him disappears. He’s the love of my life. If you could make this happen it would be such a tremendous blessing.”

Thanks to the support of the Joseph Groh Foundation and its generous sponsors, the foundation was able to help build and fund a new roof for Ralph and Isabel’s house.

^{The new roofing installation has not only improved the look of the house, but will also provide for years of trouble-free shelter}

Daikin is a proud supporter of The Joseph Groh Foundation. Ralph's story is made possible through the generous donations of the Foundation's sponsors. Light your beacon for others and become a Joseph Groh Foundation Luminary today.