Relatives recall fire victim, seek help with funeral expenses

WILKES-BARRE — As the city fire department continues to investigate Tuesday morning’s fatal fire at the Genetti Apartment complex, the family of a man killed in the blaze is reaching out to the community for help with the costs of a proper burial.

A GoFundMe in memory of Larry Wilson, the 67-year-old victim of the tragic fire that has displaced over 100 residents of the complex, has been set up by Wilson’s niece, Tammy Evans.

Evans, who moved to Texas three years ago but made the trip back to Wilkes-Barre a few days ago, remembered her uncle as a “great guy” who always brought a smile to the faces of those around him.

“He [Wilson] was like a comedian,” she said. “He always made you laugh with everything he said.”

Wilson served his country in the U.S. Army and spent a number of years working at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Plains Township before settling into retirement.

He was an avid chess player, according to Evans, who also said that Wilson taught her how to play poker.

“He taught me my poker face,” Evans joked. “He was a very smart man … I loved hanging with him, and he always loved hanging with his family.”

Evans pointed out that it wasn’t just Wilson’s family that loved spending time with him, but also his neighbors in the Genetti building.

“I saw on one of the news stations, they called him ‘the god of the building’,” she said. “Everybody loved him.”

Evans expressed her gratitude to the residents of the apartment complex who tried to rescue Wilson from his apartment, with him unable to get himself out of the building without the help of an aide.

“A couple of people went back and tried to get my uncle, but there was just too much smoke,” Evans said. “I really appreciate everyone who tried to help him.”

Relief efforts are being coordinated by the United Way of Wyoming Valley and the American Red Cross to assist those displaced in the blaze.

Evans said that she has been told that the fire is still under active investigation, but she also reached out to see if anything was possibly salvageable from her uncle’s apartment.

She believes that everything was destroyed, including any possible insurance documentation Wilson may have had in his apartment.

“He had a briefcase that he told us to get if anything ever happened to him, that was destroyed,” Evans said. “I contacted Genetti’s and they said everything had burned or melted.”

To try and cover some of the burial costs, Evans made the GoFundMe page as soon as she made it into the area from Texas. The page can be found at https://gofund.me/f4e1add3.

For his family, a little bit of help will go a long way in ensuring that Wilson gets the burial he deserves.

“He loved his family, every family gathering or function we had, he was there,” Evans said. “We’re going to miss him so much.”