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Ester Granadoz’ children, Alexander Granadoz of Doña Ana, N.M., Grace Granadoz who lives with her mom Ruben Granadoz of Childress, Rosemary Molina, Jessie Granadoz and Addy Granadoz, all of Wellington, and Frank Granadoz, also of Doña Ana, surround her Friday afternoon near her home on Belton St. in Wellington. The inside of the home was destroyed by a fire June 24. (The Red River Sun/Bev Odom)
By Bev Odom/The Red River Sun
WELLINGTON — Ester Granadoz and family are so thankful for neighbor John Castor, who woke she and her daughter Grace early Wednesday morning after seeing a fire at the home.
“He and another man were knocking on my door,” she said, adding Castor came around 7 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. “Then the firetrucks came and everybody else. I thank John Castor for everything.”
Granadoz said her home is not salvageable, that it will have to be knocked down. The family did save special mementos but pretty much lost all of their possessions in the home.
She expressed her gratefulness for the Wellington Volunteer Fire Department, Wellington EMS and the deputies who assisted. The family appreciates the random acts of kindness, too, from so many citizens of Wellington.
“Thank you to all the people that have been here,” said Granadoz. “I have lost so much. Sometimes you think you can’t go on, but God has been here for me in every way.”
The family moved to Wellington in the 1970s. The oldest son Alex Granadoz explained that his dad Jesus Granadoz served as a contractor for migrant workers. The cotton in the Lakeview area brought them to the Panhandle from south Texas.
“We had an aunt that lived in Wellington, so she found us this place here on Belton Street,” said Alex Granadoz. “We continued to work the harvests from picking oranges in Florida to onions and squash in New York.”
An account for Ester and Grace Granadoz has been set up at Pilgrim Bank for anyone who would like to make a contribution. They are currently staying with daughter Rosemary Molina.
The family said the plan is to bulldoze the structure and replace it with a mobile home of some sort.
