How 4 Generations of Family Helped Fulfill Beloved Matriarch's Wish Even After She Died (Exclusive)

“I feel very blessed,” Shirley Kelley's daughter, Ardath, tells PEOPLE. “This is really, for us, a miracle"

• Before she died, Shirley Kelley, the wife of a World War II Army veteran, gave her home to grandson Leonard Beckett Jr., hoping that it would be renovated
  

• Leonard, an Army veteran himself, experienced financial challenges during the renovation and almost gave up on it 
  

• But with the help of a local nonprofit and Home Depot, the work is back on track

An Atlanta family carrying four generations of military service members is fulfilling a promise to their beloved matriarch.

The yearslong saga began in 1960 when Benjamin Kelley, who served in the Army in World War II, and wife Shirley purchased a home, originally built in 1934, in Atlanta’s historic West End.

Ten years later, the couple acquired a larger home next door, combining the two residences into one large estate where their children, Ardath and Simeon, grew up.

Little did they know how important the property would become to their family.

“The funny thing is, I said to [my mom], ‘Why are you buying that house?’ " says Ardath, now 69 and an Air Force veteran-turned-educator. "And my mother said, ‘You'll see, you'll see.’ “

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Ardath, who became Benjamin and Shirley’s caregiver in their advanced years, recalls her mother’s connection to the second home that helped expand their property to fit their family.

“She liked to entertain,” Ardath says. “She liked family to be there all the time. We always had a house full of people. And whenever somebody needed a place to stay, they could stay there.”

Leonard E. Beckett Jr., Ardath’s son and Shirley’s grandson, carried on the family's legacy of service: He was in the Army for more than two decades until his retirement in 2019.

Shortly before he relocated back to Atlanta in 2021, Leonard, 48, received a phone call from his mom and his grandmother. They asked him if he wanted to take the second home — and, in turn, Leonard promised Shirley that he would renovate it. (His grandfather Benjamin died in 2013, at 91.)

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“They wanted to leave it to someone that was going to be responsible and make sure that the home stayed in the family,” says Leonard, whose two children, Alyna and Leonard III, are serving in the Army, too.

“So I came home immediately. We moved my grandmother out of the home and moved her in with my mom," he says. "And then we started the renovations on the house."

This was in 2021 and 2022, Leonard says. However, he and his wife, Stephanie, faced major financial hurdles in working on the second home, and he almost considered selling it.

“During this time, COVID was happening,” Leonard remembers. “The cost of everything just ballooned. We ran out of money and we had several stoppages because we're in a historic district. And it became very overwhelming. It was going to take us probably two years to try to complete it on our own.”

Related: Veteran, 90, Was Working in the Heat on Memorial Day. Within a Day, Over $200K Was Raised So He Could Retire

Fortunately. Ardath had been in touch with Lori Lemanski of HouseProud Atlanta — a nonprofit organization that says it does free and critical repairs for veterans and seniors who are homeowners — about installing air conditioning in the Kelley family's first home, where Ardath lives.

Then Lori learned about the extent of the stalled renovation in the second home nearby.

“We started talking regularly,” Ardath recalls. “I shared some of the family history with Lori. She said, ‘Let me come over and see.' And then when she walked in, her mouth dropped. She was like, ‘I don't know if I can help you or not, but let me talk to a few people.’ “

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One of HouseProud’s major sponsors is Home Depot, whose foundation has invested more than $500 million for veterans causes (To mark Veterans Day this year, The Home Depot Foundation announced it was donating $10 million to help former service-members age in their homes and avoid homelessness).

Lemanski says that HouseProud serves about 250-300 clients annually.

“I meet homeowners every day,” she tells PEOPLE. “You get to know their families. The Home Depot Foundation is in love with the [Kelley] family. When you get to meet people like the Kelleys that are so deserving, it's just a blessing.”

With HouseProud and The Home Depot Foundation coming on board in September and providing the supplies and volunteers, the renovation of the Kelleys’ second home is now expected to be completed by the end of November.

After that, Leonard and his family will move in along with his uncle Simeon, who has multiple sclerosis and is being cared for by Ardath.

“The house is almost ready,” says Leonard. “The floors are in, the painting on the outside is done. The painting on the inside — we're just down to the bathrooms and maybe re-sanding the floor.”

Meanwhile, the Kelleys’ first home, where Ardath is living, simultaneously got its own face-lift courtesy of HouseProud and The Home Depot Foundation.

“We have a floating deck out there now, and we have a garden,” Ardath says. “And they re-did the front porch and bought us beautiful porch furniture. It's really nice.”

The family’s matriarch, Shirley, did not live to see the full work completed; she died at the age of 89 in July 2023, before HouseProud and The Home Depot Foundation intervened.

But her loved ones say they will be thinking of her when they gather again on the property that meant so much.

“My grandmother was big on the holidays, especially Christmas. So this Christmas, my kids are coming home, my cousins — everybody will be able to join and enjoy,” Leonard says.

Both he and Ardath say they are grateful to HouseProud and The Home Depot Foundation for stepping in and ensuring that the homes will continue to be in the family while also honoring Shirley’s wish.

Still, Leonard admits that his faith was tested during the entire process.

“I almost wanted to give up on the house,” he says. “My wife continued to pray and tell the Lord he was going to provide us with our resources. And I can remember when she was praying at times, I would get irritated just by the thought of the house. So it definitely restored my faith in people because, as my mom stated, Lori and the whole Home Depot staff have been amazing.”

“I feel very blessed,” said Ardath. “This is really, for us, a miracle. And it's a great memorial for my mother and father and what they stood for. Us being veterans, for them to do this makes me feel grateful. In honoring us, they're honoring my mother and father and the entire family.”