Texas Man Remembers Wife Who Died in Home Fire After 25 Years of Marriage: ‘I Would Trade Places with Her Right Now’

A Texas community is raising money for a man known for his "kind heart and infectious personality" after his wife of 25 years died in a home fire.

On Dec. 26, Robert Earl Davis and wife Diane Wofford’s home in Overton caught fire, according to a GoFundMe and local ABC affiliate KLTV.

As Davis recounted to KLTV, he and Diane — who were in different rooms of the home because they "don’t like to watch the same television" — were separated by the fire and he couldn't hear her as he screamed for her.

“I am thinking she’s gotten out. I am getting whooped by this fire and I go out the back. She’s always on the couch by the front door so I rush to the front and she’s not outside,” Davis, known locally as the "shoe shine man," told the outlet. “I would trade places with her right now, but I can’t. She was my heart. I didn’t realize how much I loved her until now."

According a GoFundMe launched to assist Davis financially, firefighters were "able to get to Robert" at the scene, but Diane "sadly perished in the flames." Per an obituary, Diane died on Dec. 26 at 65 years old.

The Overton Fire Department told KLTV on Wednesday, Jan. 8, that it was still investigating the cause of the fire.

Related: What They Grabbed in the L.A. Fires and Why: Tender Stories from Those Who Left Almost Everything Behind (Exclusive)

Davis had been shining shoes in the Henderson area for several years "because of the outlet it gives me to meet new people and be a part of the community," he told KLTV. He was most recently shining shoes at Uppercut Barber Shop on Main Street.

After his wife's death, he's also been unable to travel for work, he revealed. "I have no clue what I’m going to do," Davis said.

Davis' community has since come together to assist him financially, as his daughter Mae has been "trying to find him a new place to live."

The fundraiser launched on the family's behalf has since earned more than $4,600 of a $7,500 goal as of Saturday, Jan. 11, the date of Diane's funeral services.

"If you'd like to donate to help them, it's not only greatly appreciated but would ensure that Robert has a chance to remain a part of the East Texas community that he calls family," the GoFundMe reads.

Read the original article on People