By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — Gene Schaefer’s first reaction was surprise. Then, he tried to find a way to pay his good fortune forward.

The Vietnam veteran had just learned Friday he was being gifted a free exterior home makeover from Randy Palmeri & Son Contracting, but true to form for the humble 74-year-old he immediately wanted to pass on the gift to someone else.

“The whole time this gentleman is trying to talk me into giving it to a different veteran because (he said) someone else deserves it more than him,” Randy Palmeri said. “That just tells you what kind of man he is, and his wife.”

Schaefer and his wife, Sue, have built a reputation for putting others before themselves. They volunteer with multiple different veterans organizations, and the last time Schaefer won a cash prize from a local club he stuffed 14 $50 bills into envelopes and handed it to people at Walmart around Christmas time.

“I knew they would be like this. I knew they wouldn’t want it,” said Laura Palmeri, who organizes the company’s Repaying a Veteran program. “They give back to everybody.”

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It’s that generosity that makes the Schaefers deserving of the tens of thousands of dollars in renovations they’ll receive on the MacArthur Drive home where they’ve lived since 1973. Kristine Frank, one of the couple’s three children, nominated them for the giveaway emphasizing their relentless commitment to helping others.

“He would rather spend money on others than spend it on himself,” Frank wrote in a nomination letter. “In fact, he’s even lent money to people that haven’t paid him back, but he’s never been worried about being reimbursed. He just continues to help people in any way possible.”

Sometimes that means lending a hand to help a friend make home or auto repairs, or it’s volunteering to drive other veterans to medical and dental appointments when they can’t drive themselves.

“That’s how they are. They give to the community in so many ways,” Frank said. “They don’t do much for themselves.”

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This is the fifth year that Randy Palmeri & Son Contracting has offered the full exterior home makeover for a deserving veteran. The home, which was built in 1953, will get new siding, gutters, roofing and landscape work. Palmeri & Son pay for all the labor and for any materials that aren’t donated. This year, IKO is donating roofing materials, Richards Building Supply donates the siding. The landscaping will be done by Tuscan Landscapes.

“We don’t think enough is done for our veterans, our heroes,” Randy Palmeri said. “It feels good to give back.”

Gene Schaefer is a Wisconsin native who was drafted to serve in Vietnam. He spent 1968-69 working as a medic for the U.S. Army in the Long Binh, Vietnam, region. He married Sue in 1973 and they moved to Rockford, where they raised three kids and now have six grandchildren. After his time in the Army, Gene worked for Gunite for about 33 years before retiring.

“I want them to like coming home and enjoy a new exterior,” Frank said. “The Palmeri family is amazing, oh my gosh they’re so sweet. In our meeting we were kind of teary eyeing together.”

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Frank helped organize the surprise for her parents. She had them stay the night at her house and then had each wear blindfolds on Friday as she drove them to their home in south Rockford. Upon arrival, dozens of friends and family members greeted them with hugs and well-wishes as the Palmeri family announced the work to be done.

“It’s overwhelming,” Sue Schaefer said. “I don’t know what else to say. It really is.”

Frank, a teacher at Meehan Elementary School in Belvidere, said she often tries to impart the importance of honoring veterans on her students. On Friday, she relished an emotional moment to reward the veteran who she said she respects more each day.

“Veterans grab our hearts,” Frank said. “I don’t know how else to say it.”

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.