Ohio Widower Paints the Town to Make It a Brighter Place
Most of us face a rough patch at one time or another in our lives.
CBS News correspondent Steve Hartman met a man who can teach us all something about how to turn sadness into joy.
After Jim Cotter last his wife last year, he set out to paint the town. But, don’t judge him too harshly for that — not until you hear the rest of the story.
“I miss her,” he told CBS News. “And this just gives me something that keeps me from missing her more.”
The own Jim set out to paint is Glouster, Ohio, population 2000. Once a thriving coal community, it’s been peeling - and therefore somewhat unappealing - for years. Cotter says he’s always wished someone would fix it up, and so after his wife died, he decided to be that someone.
“I can do something about the town. We’ll paint it,” he explained.
“The whole town,” he added.
He started with a fire hydrant, moved down the road to the guardrail and then hit a home stretch.
Cotter painted house after house, business after business - all for free.
Bonny Shifflet owns the newly painted Bonnie’s Restaurant. She says she cried when she saw her business. “I tell you, it did something to me,” she said.