Local woman gets unexpected early Christmas gift, twice in one month

EUREKA, Calif. (KIEM)-A local woman on a fixed income gets an unexpected early Christmas gift – not once but twice within the same month.

“They’re not someone you go to everyday like a grocery store or something,” said long-time Eureka resident Bonnie Learmouth.  

Learmouth has lived in the same home in Eureka for 80 years, she was overwhelmed with emotion when not one, but two local businesses gave her a break, she so desperately needed. 

“Oh my God, at this time of the year, with COVID and everything it means the world to me financially,” she said. “No excuse me, I’m getting emotional, my husband died about a year and a half ago, and my income was cut by 5,000 a month, so financially it means, holy cow, it means a lot.”

The first act of kindness Learmouth experienced was when she needed work done on her furnace – she called O and M Industries- based out of Arcata – a technician was sent out.

“It took him about an hour and a half to do everything, when I went to pay, he said, they’ll send you a bill,” she said. “So, I never got a bill, so I called them last week, and said I never received the bill for the work that you guys did, and the nice young lady on the phone said, that’s on the house.”

 The second time was when she took her car for repair at Myrtle Town Bodyshop. 

“My sunroof was leaking and they cleaned out the sunroof for me so that it the drains would go in the right direction, and I got out my credit card and he just waved his hand and said, Merry Christmas, no charge,” she said.  

Learmouth says, there are no words to express her gratitude.

“To be treated this way by these long term businesses, it’s really, it’s really something,” she said.