Gabriel House had seen better days.
The 100-unit assisted-living facility that burned Sunday night, killing nine people so far, opened in 1999 in Fall River, Massachusetts. Some photos on its Facebook page show neat rooms but older-looking carpeting and furniture. Her granddaughter didn’t like the assisted-living center, but 86-year-old Eleanor Willett wanted something that left her money to play the slots at a casino. She earned too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford a higher-priced assisted-living facility, Holly Mallowes told The Associated Press Tuesday.
“She said, ‘I don’t need much, but a roof over my head and someplace to put my sewing machine,’” Mallowes said.
Willett was the oldest to die. Here’s what is known so far about the victims.
Eleanor Willett
A Massachusetts native, Willett spent more than 20 years as a secretary and even worked briefly as a cocktail waitress, her granddaughter said.
Her home was always a base for everyone in her family, Mallowes said.
“My mom worked a lot and Grammy’s was always a place we called home,” said Mallowes, 45. “We lived with her often. She was very strong. She outlived two husbands and raised five children. She was absolutely a joy.”
Mallowes, a paralegal who lives in Dartmouth, described her grandmother as “very religious” and a “devout Catholic.”
“She wanted to be somewhat independent,” Mallowes said of Willett’s decision to move to Gabriel House in Fall River, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) south of Boston. “To leave her home alone all day, I was to afraid something might happen.”
“As our grandparents and parents get older, we say ‘I’ll make it to go see them a different day’ and you always put it off,” Mallowes said. “See them while you can. Tomorrow is not promised.”
Kim Mackin
Mackin, 71, was a violist who performed in Boston-area orchestras, according to her nephew, Austin Mackin.
She was described in a statement from family members as “gifted beyond words.”
“We will all miss Kimmy,” the statement read. “Beyond being exceptionally kind, few knew that she was a brilliant musician.”
Kim Mackin received a full scholarship to the Manhattan School of Music and after graduating, toured the world as first chair viola.
Richard Rochon
Breonna Cestodio described her 78-year-old uncle, Rochon, as “a very quiet guy,” yet a “great guy.”
“He kept to himself,” she told reporters. “He was a sharpshooter in the Army. He loved getting visits from all of his nieces and nephews.”
Rochon moved into Gabriel House about a year ago. Cestodio had little good to say about the facility, remarking that it always seemed hot inside the building.
“Every time you visited him, he was sweating,” she said. “No air in the building. I never saw any workers, except in one closed-off section. I never saw any workers.”
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Associated Press writer Mark Scolforo contributed from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
