Douglas Marks and his wife Maxine lived a quiet life together at their home in Decatur, Georgia for years. Douglas’ health began declining because the 82-year-old suffers from emphysema and dementia and has had multiple strokes. Maxine has called 911 more times than she can count.
When the firefighters would come by to help, they would exchange a few pleasantries, and then continue on their way. That changed when, during one of the calls, the firefighters realized who Douglas was.
Douglas Marks was actually Lieutenant Marks, a former firefighter himself and the oldest living retired firefighter in the county. In 1960 he was the 38th hire to the department, which now boasts 650 members. He was also the county’s first paramedic and is a Korean War Army veteran.
When the firefighters realized who Douglas was, they formed a special bond with the elderly gentleman. They loved listening to him talk about his time in the department. Soon Douglas and Maxine began to see the firefighters as their second family.
During the visits, the firefighters began to notice that their home had fallen into disrepair. The roof, insulation, and flooring were falling apart, and the home needed a new deck and ramp for Douglas’ wheelchair.
They could not let an elderly hero continue to live like that, so they took matters into their own hands, and the results are incredible. Click below to see what these firefighters did next:
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