HAMPDEN, Md. — When we asked Rachael Jameson and Matt Schmale Jr. to share photos of their parents, they spent the next several minutes going back and forth, sharing memories - smiles on their faces, their hearts clearly full of pride.
Kathy and Matthew Schmale Sr. lost their lives in an early morning fire last Tuesday. The fire destroyed 10 row homes on Keswick Road in Hampden, including the one that held most of Rachael and Matt’s childhood memories.
"All they ever wanted to do was help people. I had a lot of friends growing up that they didn't have any place to go. So my parents let them live with us,” Matt recalled.
"If you needed it, and my parents had it, it was yours,” Rachael told WMAR-2 News.
That generosity extended even into their children’s adulthood.
"Somehow, her grocery orders always had extra stuff in it, that she 'didn't order.' At the time, we're like, 'Mom you didn't have to.' 'I didn't; they sent extra,’ “ Matt recalled his mom saying recently.
But even if you didn’t know the couple’s names, if you lived in the neighborhood, you knew this house.
Either as the house that was always decked out -
"It was always like a month before every holiday, they'd switch it over and be ready for the next one,” Matt said,
"It started with Halloween because that is my birthday,” Rachael said.
"Halloween is probably being skipped this year a little bit. We'll work on it next year,” Matt told us.
Or you knew it as the house that always had birds in the trees, and squirrels in the front yard.
"My dad was turning into Snow White, I like to joke,” Rachael laughed, describing how her dad loved feeding animals that showed up at their home.
And if you walked your dog on this street, you definitely knew Matthew Schmale Sr.
"My mom would be like, 'Oh my god Rachael, he's running out to pet this dog again. These people are gonna be so tired of us.' But my dad would be beelining out the door, 'Oh puppy!'"
They say that’s how neighbors can honor the couple’s memory:
"Feed the birds. Feed the squirrels. Don't shoo them away. And take care of your family,” Matt said.
There’s been an outpouring of support for the family. A GoFundMe set up to help with cremation expenses has raised more than $13,000. Rachael and Matt say their parents wouldn’t have wanted people to mourn them at a funeral, so they’re having a celebration of life in a couple of weeks instead at the local VFW post.
The Hampden Community Council is also continuing to collect donations for the neighbors who lost their homes. You can either contribute directly at this Venmo, or by bringing a check or cash to the Truist Bank on 36th Street in Hampden.