Lake Bluff Man's New Furnace Means Warmth This Winter

Staying warm in the brutal, bone-chilling temperatures the chicago area has experienced as of late can be a challenge in itself. Trying to survive without the comfort of knowing your furnace is reliable can be even more troubling.

But thanks to a “Comfort to the People” campaign from Comfort24-7.com, Lake Bluff resident Jonathan Still will not have to worry about that this winter. Still was one of ten winners throughout Chicagoland, Northwest Indiana and Southwest Michigan of a free furnace and installation. The winners were based on 500-word submissions on why they were in need of a new one.

Still, a senior and retired statistician who lives alone following the death of his 104-year-old mother two years ago, entered the contest because after 50 years, the furnace in his Frank Lloyd Wright home was on its last leg.

“The furnace in the house was quite old,” Still said. “It kept running even during the terrible winter we had last year, but during some cold times this September, my luck ran out. There were a pair of service calls where technicians recommended a new furnace as a necessity, but when given an estimate - Still knew that was “way too much for me to afford.”

But then he heard of Comfort24-7, a network of more than 40 local, independent, factory authorized heating and cooling experts that would select the ten winning families out of more than 100 submissions.

“I didn’t think I’d have much of a chance, but wanted to try anyway,” Still said. “I had to go to the library to type up my essay and, to my surprise, I ended up getting a phone message from an independent judging agency saying I won.”

“I’m very happy and thankful that they had selected my essay as one of the best.”

And ever since the December 9 installation, Still has had no heating issues. A big relief just prior to the holiday season.

“Financially, I am of very few resources,” Still said. “I inherited my mother’s house with my sister, but I am living mainly on a small inheritance and have been postponing taking my social security benefits until I’m 70 - when I would get a bonus.”

Had he not won, Still was prepared to wait it out with the old furnace, possibly going without warmth for the winter if it couldn’t make it through. 

The new furnace will not only help Still make it through this and future winters, but could help ensure his house, the lone Wright home in Lake Bluff, not endure a demolition.

“Lately tearing down houses has been a thing in Lake Bluff,” Still said.

“It’s really beautiful to look out through those windows, it’s really something I enjoy doing,” he added of his Prairie-style architecture home.

The collective good deeds provided to Still and the nine others were summarized by the company’s president.

“It’s a great feeling to provide warmth to local families,” said Comfort24-7.com president Skip Mungo. “We received so many compelling stories of families facing adversity. These families are truly deserving of this comfort, and we’re honored to provide that comfort and some relief from their circumstances.”

Thanks to the contest, life will be a little bit easier for Still.

“I’m very appreciative,” he said. “My parents were huge fans of the Wright homes, and to have a new furnace giving it new life is important.”