Tunnel to Towers pays off mortgages for 25 families across US over Memorial Day
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — This Memorial Day, nonprofit Tunnel to Towers has paid off the mortgages for 25 families of fallen service members.
In honor of U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces, this Memorial Day, nonprofit Tunnel to Towers announced 25 families of surviving spouses with young children across 18 states, including two in California, had their mortgages paid for by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
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Some of the families who received mortgage-free homes this Memorial Day are:
Air Force Master Sergeant Chrystal Stuckey
Air Force Senior Airman Bradley Smith
Air Force Senior Airman Charles Wood
Army Staff Sergeant Ryan O'Hara
Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Andrew Eaves
Army Staff Sergeant Nino Livaudais
Army Sergeant Anthony Pagano
Army Sergeant First Class Travis Tikka
Army Specialist Robert Kirsopp
Army Staff Sergeant Michael Nelson
Army First Lieutenant Dustin Vincent
Navy Chief Petty Officer Mattias Fiser
Navy & Army Sergeant Gregory Ponci
Navy Chief Petty Officer Derrick Demery
Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Jeffrey Marquard
USMC Gunnery Sergeant (EOD) John Fry
USMC Lieutenant Colonel Leonard Troxel
USMC Lieutenant Colonel Michael 'Scott' Flurry
Minnesota National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 2 Charles Nord
Tunnel to Towers highlighted two service members who lost their lives and their stories.
lost his life on Dec. 5, 2019, following a Blackhawk helicopter crash during a maintenance test, according to the nonprofit.
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Nord left behind his wife, Kaley, who was pregnant with their son, Jack Charles, and their two-year-old daughter, Lydia. The Tunnel to Towers Foundation provided the Nord family with a mortgage-free home through the Gold Star Family Home Program.
'I am excited to be able to support and raise my children knowing that their father will never be forgotten…To be able to remain in the house that Charles worked countless hours on to finish for our family is priceless,' said Kaley.
enlisted in the Army after high school in 1984, serving his country for 22 years with deployments to the Middle East, Somalia, and Panama. He retired in 2006 and pursued a second career with the Social Security Administration.
Tikka was diagnosed with angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma due to burn pit exposure during his deployments and passed on Nov. 18, 2023. He is survived by his wife, Sara, and their children, Madyson and Mason. Tunnel to Towers paid off the mortgage on the family's Missoula, Montana home.
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'Tunnel to Towers has relieved a huge financial burden… Instead of focusing and worrying about finances, I can now focus on what is best for my family emotionally,' said Sara Tikka, SFC Tikka's wife. 'We now have a future that looks a lot less scary. This organization will be with me and my children as we live our lives to the fullest, as Travis had wanted.'
The community can donate at T2T.org to help support Tunnel to Towers and its mission to support America's veterans, Gold Star families, and fallen first responder families.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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