WHS alumni step up for classmate who lost home

Diane Pratt Soles
Diane Pratt Soles

An Elizabethtown with roots in Columbus lost her home to fire Aug. 3 is getting some help from her high school class mates.
Diane Pratt Soles lost power in her home near the Elizabethtown Highway Patrol Station during Hurricane Isaias. Soles and her 14 year old poodle Molly Ann escaped with their lives, said her longtime friend Ann Soles Rockwell.

Molly Ann almost didn’t make it – she had to be revived by firefighters. The dog and her owner, however, were left with nothing.

“She lost everything,” Rockwell said. “If you drive by her house, it looks fine. But inside it’s destroyed.”

Since then, Rockwell said, Soles has been living in the Whiteville Econolodge while making arrangements for a new, more permanent place to live. Her classmates and friends from the Whiteville High School class of 1974 are collecting donations.

“She needs clothes, linens, furniture, everything,” Rockwell said. “She isn’t choosy. She’s just starting over.”

The class has set up a GoFundMe page to assist Soles. For more information on how to donate, contact Rockwell on Facebook or email jeffweaver@CCnews2020.com. You can also message Columbus County News on Facebook.

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About Jefferson Weaver 1386 Articles
Jefferson Weaver is the Managing Editor of Columbus County News and the News Director for WTXY AM1540 & Kool 103.9FM Radio. He can be reached at (910) 632-4965, or by email at jeffersonweaver@ColumbusCountyNews.com.