‘Woo-Hoo’ Jimmy is going home. Tri-Cities rallied to build him a new house
Jimmy “Woo-Hoo” Butcher, the beloved Tri-Cities superfan known for his joyful support of the Tri-Cities Americans, the Dust Devils and others, is going home.
Butcher will move into a newly built two-bedroom, two-bathroom house in Kennewick on Saturday, about nine months after an undetected water leak destroyed his manufactured home off West Clearwater Avenue.
Building a new home has been a labor of love for Butcher’s family and a legion of Tri-Cities supporters.
His new home will be unveiled at 2 p.m., Saturday. The city of Kennewick already issued a certificate of occupancy, so he’ll be able to move back in immediately after spending much of the last year living with cousins in West Richland.
After Butcher’s plight became public last fall, supporters jumped at the chance to help the disabled man known for his large heart and love of youth.
The initial plan was to replace the old manufactured home with a new one, but community leaders decided to go a step further and build a new house.
David Retter, owner of Retter & Co. Sotheby’s International Realty, and Ken Hohenberg, Kennewick’s retired police chief and a current Port of Kennewick commissioner, are longtime fans of Butcher. Together, they marshaled a long list of contractors to help out.
Though disabled, Butcher works at the Kennewick Safeway, drives and lives independently in Kennewick after the death of his wife.
Kevin Gunn, sales manager at Jacobs & Rhodes, said the Kennewick air conditioning business is a regular stop for Butcher, whose folksy wisdom informs its social media. Last July, Butcher asked for help with his broken air conditioning.
Gunn said his shop has helped in the past and was happy to do so again. But when techs stopped by, Butcher was reluctant to let them inside.
Gunn visited personally. He told Butcher he’d replace the air conditioning unit, but needed to enter the house.
Inside, he realized extensive water damage had rotted out the floor.
Butcher’s cousins, Bert and Kurt Reynolds and Rebecca Holland stepped in to provide personal support, shelter and to guide the process of getting him into a safe and sanitary house.
Gunn credits Retter and Hohenberg with supercharging the relief effort. Both men are longtime friends with Butcher and have helped him out in the past.
The Americans and Dust Devils helped organize a fundraising campaign that eventually raised more than $24,000. Total Energy Management coordinated donations to the building fund, and Sunset View Elementary, where Butcher serves as a crossing guard, held its own fundraiser to replace his damaged clothes.
Retter enlisted his real estate contacts. C. Watts Trucking helped demolish and remove the old structure.
Landmark Homes built the new house. Great Floors provided flooring and cabinets. Heritage Nursery handled landscaping. Jacob and Rhodes provided the HVAC system. Fred’s Appliances provided appliances, and a host of others stepped up to help clear the lot and install a new driveway.
The new house is designed to help Butcher thrive in the future and includes a second bedroom and bath should he need a caretaker in the future.
