Anonymous donor pays off $360,000 mortgage of Washington landslide victim

An anonymous donor has paid the $360,000 mortgage of a man who lost his home and his wife in the Oso landslide last year.

Tim Ward’s wife, Brandy, was among 43 people killed in the slide on March 22, 2014. Ward, buried under 25 feet of debris, was rescued.

JPMorgan Chase told KIRO 7 the donor read about Ward and wanted to help.

Ward told KIRO 7 he’s grateful for that donor, who is a stranger and has remained anonymous. Ward hopes other banks think long and hard about forgiving loans for those who have already suffered so much.

In Darrington, fire chief Dennis Fenstermaker says the donation is welcome news.

“It’s a great gesture on somebody’s part,” said Fenstermaker.

Fenstermaker knows a handful of loans have been forgiven to homeowners in the slide zone. But dozens of other homeowners, he says, are still struggling with loans on homes that no longer exist.

“It’s a devastating thing because, in a lot of the cases, the mortgage that you owe on, you will never be able to live on that property again. So you’re paying a mortgage for something that you really have no value in,” said Fenstermaker.