Teen Builds A Fitting Tribute To His Late Mother

EAST AUSTIN, TX -- A local teenager is building a fitting tribute to the mother he lost to cancer a little over a year ago.

Even while in the throes of grief at losing his mom after she succumbed to an 11-year battle with breast cancer in October 2014, Taylor Thompson reflected on the most fitting way to pay tribute to her.

Then an idea hit him with the force of epiphany: He would raise money to build a Habitat for Humanity home like the ones his mom helped build for low-income residents of East Austin.

“I could see myself finishing the house, just like when we ran the half-marathon in New Orleans, in honor of my mom,” the 16-year-old told KXAN-TV when the station first aired his story the past November.

“There was that moment on the course when you’re like, I can do this thing,” he said.

Like finishing the race, he’s now able to see the finish line on his tribute. Exceeding the $85,000 fundraising goal to build one house.

When he first launched his fundraising, he had envisioned building one home a block from the homes off Montopolis Drive. In an update to the story, he likely build two and maybe three.

Construction on the first Habitat for Humanity home is expected to be completed by the end of this month.

It’s a fitting tribute to Maureen Thompson, who helped design and build such homes while a student at the University of Texas at Austin’s School of Architecture.

In honoring his mom, Taylor is continuing a family tradition of service. Maureen’s parents have pitched in to build 70 such homes in their own right.

When the young man now thinks of his mother, he recalls intangible qualities of memories that now reside in his heart and mind: “She was tall; she was beautiful; she had a beautiful smile. Beyond the physical appearance, I think of her grace. I think of her love.”

Soon, he’ll have tangible reminders of her in the form of those brick-and-mortar homes for economically disadvantaged families his mom inspired.

His dad, meanwhile, is left in awe of his son’s resolve and expression of love for the mom he so admired.

“It is love magnified,” Gary Thompson said of his son’s actions. “As a result, we can change things. We can make things better.”

In his own words, Taylor wrote in detail on the Habitat for Humanity website about his motivations to undertake the project. You can read his essay here.