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Virginia man turns his grief into a blessing for newlyweds who lost everything: ‘A great start for them’

<i>WTVR via CNN Newsource</i><br/>Lyle Collins has donated furniture and household items to a newlywed couple who lost everything in a devastating fire that swept through Richmond's Shockoe Bottom this week.

By CNN Newsource

Published June 30, 2025 1:43 pm

By A.J. Nwoko

RICHMOND, Virginia (WTVR) — A Hanover County man has donated furniture and household items to a newlywed couple who lost everything in a devastating fire that swept through Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom this week.

Kimberly and Clarissa Silcox narrowly escaped the fire that destroyed three restaurants and three apartment units, including their new home.

“My mom passed away in March of this year and my sister and I are the executors of this house,” Lyle Collins of Beaverdam said. “We were trying to sell the furniture. We weren’t having a lot of luck with that… but then when I saw Channel 6 reporting on the fire downtown in Shockoe Bottom, it just hit me and I said, ‘They lost everything and this would be a great start for them’.”

Collins decided to transform his personal grief into an opportunity to help others by donating items including a love seat, credenza, and other household necessities to the couple.

He believes his generous spirit comes from his late mother.

“Her legacy has been basically the same way as I am, she helped others when she could… she’s passed that on to me,” Collins said. “I think she would be very happy that this furniture is going to someone in need.”

While the couple expressed profound gratitude for the donations, Collins remains humble about his contribution.

“I’m just basically trying to help others where I can when I can. My wife and I have done a lot of mission trips and we saw it as our mission to help them,” he said.

The cause of the fire that displaced the newlyweds and destroyed multiple businesses remains under investigation.

This story was initially reported by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. WTVR’s editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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