Photo by Danny Marler / Truck driver Danny Marler is shown with Princeton and Little Bit, his traveling companions. He used to make his runs with wife, Becky, before she died in December.When Danny Marler's wife of six years, Becky, was diagnosed with stage 4 liver cancer in 2019, he did all he could to both keep his job driving for ADS Transport Inc. and care for her.
He managed to make that work until November 2021, when she became so sick he had to leave his job to be with her.
"Her ammonia levels were so high, she didn't know where she was and who she was," Marler said by phone from his home in Rhea County.
Becky died a month later.
Marler went back to work in February, driving a West Coast route for Clark Transportation out of Lincoln, Illinois. He said the company has been very good to him, letting him drive when he is ready.
"They don't call me when I'm on the road and check on me, which I guess means I'm doing good," he said. "I put in a lot of miles."
Marler said working helps him forget about the loss of his wife, sometimes.
"She used to ride with me," he said.
He still has his riding mates Princeton and Little Bit, a shih poo and a toy poodle.
"Are they spoiled?" he said. "Oh my, yeah."
Marler said the bills piled up while trying to care for Becky, and getting help with paying his rent from the Times Free Press Neediest Cases Fund was a big help.
(READ MORE: Times Free Press Neediest Cases Fund helped mother and daughter)
"Yes, that helped me out a lot," he said. "It is one less thing to worry about.
"I don't like to ask anybody for anything, but it helped."
Marler said he sold his vehicle and his Harley Davidson to begin covering the mounting bills, and to help him get around town when he has to, he uses his mother's vehicle.
Photo by Danny Marler / Becky Marler died from liver cancer in December. Her husband, Danny Marler, left his job as a truck driver to care for her.Marler said when he returns to his home, which he rents from his mother in Rhea County, he finds a place with few pieces of furniture and no beds.
"Me and the dogs sleep on the couch, which is pretty uncomfortable after a week or so," he said.
Marler said between his new job and the help he received from the Neediest Cases Fund, he has dug about halfway out of his financial hole.
The Times Free Press Neediest Cases Fund was started in 1914 by Adolph Ochs, then the publisher of the Chattanooga Times. The Fund receives donations from Times Free Press readers. Money is administered and distributed to individuals and families in need by the United Way of Greater Chattanooga and partner agencies. Recipients must be working or on a fixed income and be able to demonstrate ongoing stability and self-sufficiency after receiving Neediest Cases funds.
According to United Way figures, the Neediest Cases Fund took in $81,000 last year and, in turn, helped 79 adults and 61 children in 54 households. Neediest Cases money went in 2020 to 60 adults and 40 children in 42 households.
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354. Follow him on Twitter @BarryJC.
Donations as of Nov. 28
$259.06 in memory of Arnold & Betty Jarvis
$103.62 in honor of Bessie L. Harris
$25.90 in memory of Bill & Bobbie Abercrombie
Other donations: $2,529.13
Current total: $2,917.71