With pets and house lost to fire, couple gets Gofundme help

LEHMANN, PA — On Sunday, March 17, Sue Connolly and her partner lost their Lehman Township home in a house fire. Their two older dogs survived safely, but their cat, Max, and puppies, Fozzie and Daisy, were lost.

Sue’s sister, Nancy Connolly, is organizing a Gofundme fundraiser.

“The house was insured and the inspections are beginning but the best case scenario is 14 months till they have a new home,” she wrote on the Gofundme page.

Sue Connolly told the River Reporter, “I just wanted to note that I love my St. Bernard puppy and my Newfie puppy and my 21-year-old cat. I could not get back safely inside to save them. I am devastated.”

An update on March 29 thanked the community for its generosity. “Just so you know how immediately your help mattered here’s a few things these funds have already paid for: car dealership fee, toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, soap, vet bill, socks, underwear, pants, shirts, shoes, aspirin, laundry soap, laundromat, pillows, clothes, dog bowls, dog food, phone chargers, breakfast, lunch and dinners and heaven knows a bunch of other things the rest of us don’t normally have to think about.” Sue and Chris were still living in a hotel at that point but hoping to move into a more permanent place the following week. They are back at work.

The fire that leveled their home on Mallard Lane was fierce and made worse by stiff winds that spread the flames.

To help the family, see their “Sue & Chris House Fire Fund” page: https://www.gofundme.com/f/sue-chris-house-fire-fund.