Building community to help building inspector
The Flathead Valley community has come together to help Virgil Bench finish building his home in Kila after being diagnosed with small cell lung cancer in May. Bench is the Columbia Falls building inspector and Whitefish chief building official. He lived in Whitefish from 1985 until he sold his home. Tyler Frank, project manager at Malmquist Construction and Flathead Building Association board member, volunteered to coordinate the construction project.
"It is Virgil's greatest desire to relieve his wife and family the burden of building a home if this cancer gets the best of him," Frank said in a letter requesting volunteer help.
Bench and his oldest son, Logan, started building the home a month before his diagnosis. All they had accomplished was the foundation, when he started cancer treatment.
His other children, Samantha, Cody, Justin and Megan, visited for a month or two each to help finish the garage so Bench and his wife, Rosalie, could have somewhere to live. Three of the children are in the Navy and had to take leave to visit. Bench and Rosalie met when they both worked for the City of Columbia Falls.
"He is fighting this cancer hard to be present in the lives of his wife, three sons, two daughters, numerous grandchildren and many friends," Frank said.
Halfway through the chemo, Bench realized he couldn't physically do work on the house anymore. However, he's not used to asking for help, Logan said.
"He couldn't wrap his mind around why people want to help," he said. "My dad is a very proud man."
For that reason, the project still belongs to his dad.
"Tyler is including mom and dad on every facet of the project," Logan said. "My dad has tears in his eyes when he talks about it."
The volunteer construction crews are having a "Builder Blast" work weekend to complete the exterior on Sept. 18, 19 and 20. The plan is to put up siding, decking, exterior doors and windows, sheet the roof, install shingles and paint. City workers from Columbia Falls will pitch in as well. City manager Susan Nicosia is making lasagna to feed the crew.
"This may seem aggressive to accomplish all this in three days but I have faith in the community and their willingness to assist the Bench family in such an overwhelming time," Frank said.
His faith was put in the right place. The project has received overwhelming support by the community. He is expecting 100 volunteers each day of the weekend.
The goal is to have the interior completed by Thanksgiving.
Rosalie quit her job at Montana Coffee Traders to help care for her husband. Bench is on disability leave. His building fund is being depleted by their drop in income and his medical bills.
"There are no words to describe the feeling of the community coming together to help my dad," Logan said.
People interested in helping can contact Tyler Frank at 406-471-8322 or
tylerf@malmquist.com.