The three-bedroom, 2,800-square-foot house is only a memory.

The only remaining portion is the 9-foot-deep concrete basement.

The 42-foot-by-80-foot barn, which featured a 1,300-square-foot finished kitchen with a fireplace, bar, and restroom, has been removed from the landscape in such a fashion that it almost appears it never existed.

One feature left behind on the once-densely wooded 20-acre lot at 2818 Waldron Road, owned by Jim and Lisa Gerth, is the approximately 1-acre pond.

It is difficult to imagine a tornado taking away a pond, but after what transpired on the harrowing March 10 evening in this eastern Kankakee County setting, the thought of the pond being swept away would not be out of the realm of possibility.

The dream property, which brought the family together nearly each and every Sunday afternoon for family, food and fun, came within an eyelash of being the site of devastation, destruction, and despair.

The former longtime home of the Kankakee Nursery, the site was purchased in 2017 by the Gerths.

After about two years of clearing some of the site of hundreds of trees and poison ivy to create the house, shed and pond, the family moved into the 1.5-story house on Christmas Eve 2019.

However, the treasure trove of fond memories created in the years since was nearly wiped away – as were the lives of seven people and four dogs – as they sheltered themselves from the EF-3 tornado that plowed through portions of Kankakee County.

While the initial shock of this episode has somewhat dulled as a handful of weeks have since passed, the thought of what could have been will likely never fade.

In her simplest of thoughts, Lisa, 63, the mother and grandmother, felt her time on Earth had drawn to a close.

The vast majority of the house, in the most basic of terms, simply crumpled only a few short feet above those sheltering in the basement.

Death was nearby

To a person, the adults gathered there – Lisa; her son, Mitchell, 32; daughter-in-law, Abigail, 29; and neighbor, Erin Boerschig, 29; along with three small children under the ages of 2 – they believed at least in some part death was only a short-distance away.

And like most everyone who fell victim to the tornado and its destruction, life is now viewed through a much different lens. The filter on this new lens offers a clearer, cleaner, closer look at what is most important in life.

The answer is not sprawling houses, polished vehicles, or shiny appliances.

Seated in her daughter-in-law’s living room – located only a short distance from her former residence – Lisa, a 1980 graduate of Bishop McNamara Catholic High School, has a different view on life.

It is not exactly a new view on life, but one brought into focus.

“Life is precious. All the other stuff is just stuff,” she said. “Little stuff doesn’t matter. Our lives just flashed before our eyes.”

It is her hope that the eyes of an entire region have been opened.

“Jim could have been coming home to a whole different story,” she said, referring to lost family rather than shaken family members.

Jim, 63, who was not home at the time of the tornado due to an Atlanta business trip, recalled the telephone conversation he had with his wife shortly after the storm had passed and he learned where it had struck.

His wife was certainly shaken. It would have been fair to even describe her as dazed, rattled or confused.

“There is really nothing to be sorry about,” he said in terms of lost assets. “We didn’t have to bury anyone.”

While that is often stated following some near tragedy, it was more than just a flip comment.

Not leaving

Like Lisa previously noted, Jim said his perspective has also been dramatically shifted.

Only a few days after the storm, Jim had virtually no intention of rebuilding at the site. With the passage of nearly six weeks, his thought has changed.

His two sons, Mitchell and Cameron, along with their spouses and children, reside within a short walk of one another. All three of their properties were damaged, but not nearly to the extent of their parents.

Mitchell and Cameron have no desire to live anywhere other than this area of Aroma Township.

Jim has come to the same realization.

In a way, the tornado could be viewed as a pounding on the door.

“It’s been good for us,” Jim said while he admitted that is something of a crazy thing to utter. “It brings you back to what is important. That’s life, family.”

Lisa, who lived through the storm in the shelter provided by a deep basement, agreed.

Much construction now awaits these families and so many others.

Mitchell is not worried about the tasks ahead: “We are blessed to have to deal with the frustrating parts.”

Sunday gatherings continue. The location simply has been shifted to Mitchell’s home.

Regarding Jim and Lisa’s property, ideas are in progress. The house will be smaller. Other changes, like the tornado, are twirling in Lisa’s mind.

“We will repurpose this property. We plan to make it better. But on a much smaller scale. We can’t leave this area regardless of costs, expenses and work,” Lisa said.