Submitted photo.
Donna and Leroy Misener are parents, grandparents, aunt and uncle, family, and friends to many people in the Rib Lake area and beyond, including Taylor and Price Counties.
After celebrating Christmas in Price County with their family, they settled in for the night at their home on North Harper Lake in Taylor County. Hours later, around 3 a.m., Donna heard some popping noises and discovered a fire had started in the corner of their living room. She hollered for her husband who tried to put out the blaze, but the new fire extinguisher did not have enough in it to extinguish the blaze. As the house became filled with smoke, the couple had a difficult time escaping, but ultimately, they escaped the blaze together. Once outside, Leroy used his hands to pat down any smoke and flames that were on each of them.
They hollered for help, but no one could hear them, so they settled into their little shed. Donna's injuries were extensive, so after about three hours, Leroy ran about 3/4 of a mile to find a home with lights on. Those people let him in and called emergency services.
Fortunately, their lives were saved, though Donna is getting treatment for burns and other injuries at a hospital and will need extensive care.
Unfortunately, their entire home and its fifty years of memories have been destroyed.
My Northern Wisconsin reached out to a daughter of the couple to see if any help was needed from the community, but the couple did not want to ask for a dime. Unbeknownst to them at the time, to give them hope for a brighter new year, their niece, Robin Quednow, created a Go Fund Me page at this link. She stated she has never set up a fundraiser before, but added she is doing the only thing she knows to try to help them during this difficult time. Since the story has reached the public, the couple agreed that My Northern Wisconsin can publish these additional details.
A fund has also been established at Forward Bank where 100% of the proceeds will go to the family. To donate, go to any Forward Bank location or send the payment by mail. Checks should be written to the Misener Donation Fund. The envelope should be sent to Misener Donation Fund c/o Forward Bank, P.O. Box 88, Rib Lake, WI 54470.
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If you or a loved one have experienced a fire, illness, or some other situation that has caused the need for the community to help, reach out to My Northern Wisconsin. We write articles about these situations to get more attention for fundraisers and benefits to help our community members.