People grateful for community generosity after fire

By Tammy Real-McKeighan

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    CEDAR BLUFFS (Fremont Tribune) — Even after fire destroyed their home, Vicki Miller, Dale Schlink and John Ostrand are grateful people.

They’ve experienced the generosity of a community and individuals — some of whom Miller said she hadn’t heard from in years.

The family members were sleeping when fire broke out in their Cedar Bluffs home early in the morning on Jan. 2.

Ostrand awoke after his service dog named, Bishop James, pawed him in the face. Neighbor Shannon Taylor Alharithy rushed to the house, getting the three out of their home.

Miller said the fire was started by a built-in wall heater, installed when the kitchen was remodeled in 2002.

The house, built in 1898, is a total loss and the family escaped with little more than what they were wearing.

Miller said they got the service dog, along with two other dogs, out of the house. Three of their four cats and two parakeets perished. One cat was found alive later.

Days after fire claimed the home that Miller had inherited from her late father, Lawrence Ostrand, she recalls how the public has responded to the family’s loss.

Many people anonymously donated clothes and money.

Miller hadn’t seen one of her friends, Tammy Nelson and her husband, Jim, since their wedding 37 years ago. The Nelsons provided a new bed for Ostrand.

“It was heartwarming,” Miller said. “I was just glad to hear from my friend. I didn’t expect them to go above and beyond to make sure my son was able to have a bed.”

Jerri Bowers, a friend Miller said she hadn’t seen since high school, got her donated cat food and litter.

Realtor Libby Headid found the family a house to rent in Fremont. The house had appliances and Miller said people donated furniture.

Fremont Golf Club has donated meals to the family. La Hacienda restaurant provided a meal as well.

Friend Tiffany Stearns started a gofundme page at gofundme.com/f/please-help-vicki-miller-and-john-ostrand.

On the page, Stearns wrote: “These people are a blessing from above. They would do anything for you. They’d give their shirt off their back for you.”

Miller is a certified medication aide at The Heritage at Shalimar Gardens. She said The Heritage Corporation provided them with some crisis relief funds.

The family has had some struggles since the fire.

Miller said she had a second bout of COVID right after the fire. Schlink and Ostrand also have dealt with illness. Miller’s son is heartbroken over the loss of the three cats.

“He feels guilty, because he couldn’t have saved them,” she said.

In the midst of it all, the family wants people to know how thankful they are for the donations.

“We appreciate it so much and there’s so many anonymous people, too, that we don’t how to reach out to them to thank them,” she said. “We are so overwhelmed by people’s generosity. It’s emotional for us. It melts our hearts that people are so giving and caring in this community and in Nebraska. I guess it’s just Nebraskans.”

On another positive note, Miller added that one cat, a calico named, Kayla, survived.

Miller said her son went to the house to see if he could find any of the cats after the fire.

“He was whistling and Kayla, our second to the oldest cat, came out of the garage,” Miller said.

This was the cat who never left Miller’s side when she had a first bout of COVID in July.

The cat has remained near Miller’s side since being reunited with the family.

“She’s really loving and clingy,” Miller said.

Miller shared other thoughts.

“God is watching out for us for sure,” Miller said. “I couldn’t have done any of this without him being first in our lives.”

Miller believes the family has been blessed in spite of the terrible things that have happened.

“Sometimes the blessings overweigh the bad and we’ve been blessed that way,” she said.

The situation has been humbling for family members.

“When I’m able to be on my feet again and when we have our lives back in order I want to pay it forward to another person who may be in this same situation,” Miller said.

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