Mrs. Slupatchuk is the widow of William ("Bill") Slupatchuk, who died tragically last fall. She is continuing to run their business, Villarina Pasta and Fine Foods at Lore's Plaza on Route 7 in New Milford, and taking care of the children on her own.
"It's pretty awesome-very beautiful," Mrs. Slupatchuk said Monday after returning home Monday. "We knew a few small things were going to be done because a lot of things were seriously wrong, but this is more than we could have imagined.
"A lot of people did this, people we know and some we don't-it's faith," she added, noting that it has happened at a particularly sad time, as "this week is the 6-month anniversary of Bill's passing."
Mr. Slupatchuk, who was 49 at the time, died Sept. 25, 2008, as a result of a one-car accident on Route 67 in Roxbury.
"I would have lived in a cardboard box with him, I loved him so much," Mrs. Slupatchuk, who was born and raised in New Milford, said of her late husband, a Stamford resident at the time they met through mutual friends. And now that the A-frame house he bought in the early 1980s has been so thoroughly renovated, she added, "I'm definitely staying here. I can't move my kids. They're comfortable with the people they know here and very excited about the way the house looks now. When Joe was here today, they kept saying, 'Thank you, thank you, Joe.'"
The "customization" of the house began March 13 when Mrs. Slupatchuk and her children went on vacation to Aruba with her mother. She knew a new carpet would be installed in the basement and some other, minor work would be done.
Mrs. Welch said last Friday that the improvements include new siding and windows, electrical and plumbing, sheetrocking, flooring, central air, bathroom, alarm system, chandelier in the living room and sconces inside and outside, roof work, new doors and closets, and refurbished decks.
Outside, trees have been removed, other landscaping done and the driveway will be taken care of in April.
The renovation went top to bottom, or vice versa. The loft has been refurbished, for example, and there's now a playroom in the basement. Cable TV outlets have been installed. The area underneath the garage has been excavated in order to create a storage area.
"I guess you can say there's everything new upstairs," since new furniture is part of the renovation, Mrs. Welch said.
"It took me hours to see everything," said Mrs. Slupatchuk, who noted that her first impression that a major change had been in the works was upon seeing that "the front was changed-they put new siding up and new windows.
"It's phenomenal what they did," she added.
Mr. and Mrs. Welch are longtime friends of the Slupatchuk family.
"Holly likes our home-Joe and I built it-and so awhile after Bill died I went over and said I'd look at what could be done to give her spirits a lift," Mrs. Welch recounted. "Joe decided to put in a new carpet. When he took a look at the house, he said we could even do some other things.
"Once this got started, the word spread, and it snowballed into something big," she said.
Mrs. Welch added, "People have asked what they could do to help, and some even stopped by the office and left as much as $100 in an envelope anonymously."
"New Milford has a great support system," she said.
Mrs. Slupatchuk said that was what has made the biggest impression on her-"how wonderful the whole community has been since Bill died. It's just awesome, because I'm constantly going-I have to be a full-time mom, dad and business owner."
She noted that other friends of the family have been working at Villarina Pasta to help Mrs. Slupatchuk keep the business going. Some are planning events to raise money for the children's future.
"Bill died a week before Madisun's birthday, and they still don't know how to deal with it," she said. "When you're little, it's a lot."
Mr. Welch pointed out that about 40 people worked on the home makeover, which started the day that they left for vacation.
"It really came together," he said. "What's amazing is the whole thing came together in 10 days. We started demo-ing the morning that they left and finished it by the morning they returned. The suppliers were awesome. It was a great life experience for us, just a phenomenal experience when you think of how much we got done. Everybody was excited and willing to work. They worked alongside each other and even borrowed each other's tools. There was terrific cooperation."
The companies that played a major role were Modern Plumbing and Ring's End of New Milford and F&M Electrical and Metro Roofing of Danbury, according to Mr. Welch.
"We probably blew all their charity budgets for the year," he said.
The proceeds from tickets for New Milford Spirits' annual spring wine tasting March 27 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Candlewood Valley Country Club will benefit the family. The tickets cost $25 per person. For more information, call 860-354-7712 or visit online at www.Newmilfordspirits.com.
Also, a benefit golf tournament will be held June 19 in Harwinton.
Mr. Slupatchuk died Sept. 25 as a result of a one-car accident on Route 67 in Roxbury.
An education fund was established last fall after Mr. Slupatchuk's death for his daughters. Contributions may be sent to The William Slupatchuk Memorial Fund, c/o Webster Bank, 19 Main St., New Milford, CT 06776.
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