COMMERCE TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Michigan has seen one of the hottest summers on record so living on a lake right now seems ideal.
But for a Commerce Township family with an unfinished boat there has been no fun in the sun.
Paddy Miller's back yard looks out over Union Lake and her pontoon boat sits docked. When she and her late husband Ed first bought the boat they didn't realize it would become an extension of their living room. Most nights Paddy said she could find Ed outside.
"Every evening, after dinner he would go down and sit and watch for the sunset," Paddy shared with Ruth to the Rescue.
The boat also brought the family together. "He would let the little girls, the great granddaughters, they loved to go on the boat with Papa cause he'd let them drive," she said.
Repairs don't go as planned
As the seats became worn, Paddy thought she'd get them re-upholstered for her husband. She asked nearby neighbor, Dan Swanson, to do the job. Paddy gave him about $4,000, which she thought was a little steep.
But she still said yes, "It's really nice, he's a neighbor, let's help out the neighbors."
Paddy said Dan wasn't as neighborly. He promised to finish the job, but never did. "He kept telling us, oh just a few more days, just another week."
But a year went by and Ed fell ill and passed away. Paddy said, "I thought it would be so nice for him, but he never got to see it."
Even in his final days Ed worried about the unfinished boat, putting his daughter Cindy Faber in a tough spot.
"One of the final things I said to him was that the boat was ok, and I kind of lied to my Dad as he was dying, you know it's not fun," Cindy told us.
Two more years passed, and the family finally asked Ruth to the Rescue for help. "That would be the only reason we get them is because of Ruth to the Rescue," Cindy said.
Dan Swanson would not speak on camera, but says he wanted the boat as his place, so he could install the seats as they were finished. He says he was worried the finished seats would be damaged in his small workspace.
Cindy disagreed, "I've talked to several people and asked them- does he need the boat- and they have all told me no!"
At this point, Dan Swanson says he will have the seats finished and delivered to Paddy Miller by July 30. We'll keep you posted.