Korean War Veteran’s Widow Receives Roof Upgrade from Charity

The Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project has added Mary Jean Berling to the list of veterans’ family members to whom it has ensured shelter.

Mary Jean Berling lost her husband, William, in 2017 after a long battle against the inexorable encroachment of Alzheimer’s disease. “It was very sad because he had been sick for a long time,” Berling told a local ABC affiliate. She described her husband as a man who enjoyed helping his community, even fixing things for his neighbors.

Now that he is gone, the community is returning the favor. Berling’s roof had a leak she could not afford to fix, even as she was recovering from breaking her back last year. But when the Owens Corning Roof Deployment Project heard of her plight, it raced to the rescue, with help from Habitat for Humanity and Certified Roofing Specialists.

Rolando Noriega, an area sales manager with Owens Corning Roof Deployment, effused over the project’s efforts to provide shelter to families who have already sacrificed so much for the country. “Oh, its [sic] been great. We’ve donated over 200 projects across the country,” he said. “We partner with Habitat for Humanity and our local contractors in the area and the community loves it.”

Berling said her husband would approve. “Oh, he would be so proud that we’re having this done,” she said. “He was such a go-getter for getting things done, you know, around the house and for other people.” She called the project “unbelievable”, saying, “We’re just elated. We really needed the help.”