Broke but not Broken

In 1974, Jim and Tim’s parents, Bob and Jan Gannaway were living in Portland, Oregon. They sent their sons a newspaper classified ad which detailed a watch salesman in Astoria, Oregon looking for a jeweler to partner with in business. Tim decided to go to Astoria arriving with little more than his tools and the shirt on his back. He had little money, no car, and no home. His wife, Linnea joined him a week later, arriving with two suitcases and a kennel containing their pets, a lab and two cats. They had enough money to spend one night in the Bayview Motel. The next day they collected cans for the 5 cent recycling money and made enough to buy a bag of apples. Tim checked with the local welfare office and found he was not eligible for any programs. They suggested he go to the Seventh Day Adventists, which was across town, if he needed food or shelter. He had no way to get there with the four heavy boxes containing his tools, so he was stranded. While he was sitting on the post office lawn considering his options, a local man, Duane Jeremiah, approached him and asked him what he was doing there. Tim told Duane his story. Duane happened to own some apartments in Astoria. Tim told Duane that if he would bring him to an apartment where he could lock up his tools, he would go door to door selling leftover jewelry from his wholesale business in order to pay the rent. Duane agreed and drove him to the Blue Ridge apartments in east Astoria. Tim sold enough jewelry the first day to pay the rent.