This past summer during the Lincoln County Fair, Trinity Lutheran Church was nominated for and won a contest for a free roof, offered by local developer and construction owner Ryan Ott. Also nominated in the contest were Al and Joyce Handlin of Merrill, for whom Trinity is now raising funds to replace their roof.
Ironically, the nomination would be one of the few times in the couple’s lives when they have been on the receiving end of things. In fact, Al and Joyce Handlin have made a career of giving.
After relocating to Merrill in 1972 from the Chicago area, the couple immediately pursued foster care.
“We had wanted to start doing foster care in Chicago,” Joyce explains, “but we knew we were leaving soon and didn’t want to start something and not be able to stick with it. We wanted to move some place smaller and safer, we were just tired of the big city life where your neighbors are literally an arm’s length away.”
“We first looked at Eagle River,” Al adds. “I was familiar with that area after vacationing there as a child. But I was an auto body technician at the time and just couldn’t find a job that paid well up there. So we gradually worked our way south.”
“We found the same issue in Rhinelander, but when we came across Merrill, everything just fell into place for us,” Joyce adds. “Al found his good paying job working as a custodian for the school district. We found a nice small town to raise our children, and best of all we found a house on a paved road, no more than five miles from town, with the possibility for expansion and 40 acres of land. That is exactly what we were looking for. I think this is just where we were meant to be.”
Over the next 41 years, the Handlin’s would go on to care for their own four biological children and 197 foster children; two of which they adopted.
“Being foster parents was such a fantastic and wonderful experience,” Joyce says. “It was by far the best decision we ever made.”
“For us, it was about making as many children feel loved as possible,” Al adds.” There are so many children in this world who have never known what love feels like. That just was not acceptable for us.”
“We wouldn’t change a thing, except maybe take in a few more,” Joyce adds with a chuckle.
“We gave up our license last year, but I guarantee if she got a call this minute about a baby needing a home, she would be out the door asking where and when,” Al jokes.
In addition to foster care, Joyce ran an in-home day care and served as a Sunday school teacher while Al served as a Boy Scout leader, Town of Merrill Constable for 30 years and fire warden for 28 years. It was the Handlin’s lifetime of dedicated service which prompted their daughters Kathe Handlin and Kristin Stingel as well as Kristin’s husband Joe, to write a letter on Al and Joyce’s behalf, nominating them for the free roof.
When it turned out Trinity Lutheran Church had won the contest, the couple was far from disappointed.
“We were just shocked and blessed at the same time,” Al states as his eyes water a bit. “When you raise children, you hope you’re doing right by them. You know, raising them to be good people. But something like this is just off the charts. We were just so grateful they did this for us”
“”We had no idea we were even in the contest, until Kristin called one day and told us someone was coming to take a picture of the house,” Joyce explains.”I remember saying What! Why!?” and she explained we were finalists for a new roof in a contest at the fair. It was a shock, and when I read the letter I balled!”
As Kristin explains, when the contest was first announced, the three immediately set about advocating for their parents.
“I remember times growing up when my parents have literally given others the coat off their
Back,” the elder of the two explains. “We were taught to respect others and never judge anyone as you never know the circumstances surrounding their situation. Mom and dad have helped everyone they could and never once asked when that person could repay them or why they may be in need… that didn’t matter to them. What mattered was that someone needed something and they could provide it, so they did.
“The contest was looking for worthy/deserving individuals or organizations and we feel our parents have given selflessly, and deserved a generous return.”
Kathe Handlin admits to being disappointed when their parents didn’t win the initial contest, but was overjoyed when she learned of Trinity reaching out to them in the form of a fund raiser.
“I was ecstatic that it was our family!” the mother of three adds.
“I had heard that Trinity was raising funds for someone, but had no idea it was our parents! I cried tears of sadness when I found out they didn’t win the first contest. But when I read it in the bulletin last Sunday, I cried tears of joy! Also when I saw the cost of a bundle of shingles, I thought $36 per case from 100 people is an easily obtainable goal.”
As Kathe alluded to, Trinity Church and school are now taking donations to purchase 100 cases of shingles at $36 each, to replace the Handlin’s roof. Ryan Ott has pledged to donate the labor.
“When we first talked to Ryan, he said this couple had really caught my heart,” states Trinity Lutheran School Principal Kathy Yahr, who is overseeing the fund raiser. “He said if you guys can raise the money, I will do the labor free.”
“This is just so wonderful they are doing this for us,” Joyce adds with a smile as she glances at a bucket catching leaking water on the couple’s living room floor. “That’s what paying it forward is all about.”