CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. -- A funeral home has stepped up to help a dying father cover some of his final funeral expenses.
After hearing about Tim Roberts' plight, the owner of Morrissett Funeral Home decided to do something.
Owner Larry Spiaggi, who also runs a foundation with his wife to grant wishes to adults in hospice care, connected with Roberts and offered to cover much of the expenses.
"There's not any Social Services in Virginia that pays for funerals," Spiaggi said. "It was something we felt like we should do. We try to help as many people as we can. The only thing I hope is that this takes off that one stress."
Roberts spent most of his adult life caring for his son who had a rare medical condition that required multiple surgeries on his skull.
Tim Roberts
Roberts said that while his own health has declined in recent years, he was unprepared for what his doctor recently told him.
"He said, 'Tim, I'm sorry but there's nothing else we can do for you. We can put you on pain medication and keep you comfortable.”
He said he suffers from Addison's disease, heart and other health problems that require him to take 30 to 50 pills a day.
Hospice care documents shared by Roberts show his medical situation as terminal.
"When I die, I don`t want to be a burden to anyone in my family," Roberts said. "I think for someone to step in and do what they've done is so awesome. I pray daily and I feel like it was God answering a prayer for me."
WTVR CBS 6 first profiled Roberts in 2012 because of his son, Chris, who had a rare disease that impacts his skull.
Morrissett Funeral Home is one of two funeral homes that reached out to help Roberts. The other was E Alvin Small Funeral Home out of Colonial Heights.
