Retired MSU Professor Suffers House Fire

On the morning of August 31st, a fire broke out at our friend Stephanie Newman's home on the corner of N 5th and Peach. Locals know this bright yellow residence as the "house with the purple fence."

Stephanie has lived in this location for the past 32 years and is a beloved artist and retired professor living on a fixed income. She is known to her neighbors for having beautiful dogs and beautiful flowers. Everyone safely escaped the fire, including her housemate, Michell Domke, Stephanie's golden retriever, Garbo, and her tuxedo cat, Gelato.

While the Bozeman Emergency Service responded in minutes to the electrical fire, the blaze took hours to extinguish, with extensive fire and water damage to the basement and the main floor. This means every item, including clothes, printing presses, artwork, furniture, appliances, keepsakes, and family memories, is burned, smoke-damaged, or water-damaged.

Anyone who has suffered a home fire knows this is devastating and disruptive. The latest estimate is that she will need to spend the next month in a hotel while they find temporary housing. Then, due to the fire and water damage, the house will be stripped completely down to the studs for repairs. With the extent of damage and construction shortage in Bozeman, this is estimated to take 12 months or more to complete.

Realistically, insurance only covers a small portion of repairs. Anyone who has dealt with this kind of catastrophic event knows firsthand this is only a part of the cost of returning life to normal.

We are reaching out to the community to assist with the overwhelming situation. Please contribute to this go-fund-me to bring stability to this wonderful person, or share it on your social media so others can contribute. Thank you so much!