101-year-old Pasco County veteran gets home renovated after 2024 hurricane damage

PASCO COUNTY, Fla. - A Pasco County World War II veteran has a newly renovated home after suffering damage from the 2024 hurricanes. 

Hurricane damage and rebuilding

What we know:

Fred "Fritz" Kojzar's home took on several inches of water during the storms. The wet flooring was immediately removed but remained unfinished and uneven for quite a while.  

Community organizations step in

Local perspective:

Rebuilding Together Greater Florida — along with USAA, American Red Cross, Community Foundation Tampa Bay (CFTB), and Volunteer Florida — worked together to fund and complete the repairs to the Hudson home.

"We make sure that we replace the entire flooring without any steps into it and any transitions from one room to another. That was crucial for us because, as you notice, he walks with a walker," Jose Garcia, Rebuilding Together Greater Florida CEO, said. 

More upgrades for the Navy veteran

What we know:

Crews also took things a step further, installing grab bars around the house to provide better support. 

"Also, he had trouble getting into the tub. So we convert the tub into a shower, and in that way, he can be as independent as possible," Garcia said. 

Additionally, crews added new kitchen appliances for Kojzar, who likes to cook. Neighbor Al Hiller can testify to that. 

"What happens is, I go offshore and catch fish. I bring them to Fritz. He filets them with his father's filet knife. He's like a surgeon. Then he calls me up, and I come over and have a delicious fish dinner," Hiller said. "It's a win-win situation for me."

Postcard from the past

The backstory:

So how does a 101-year-old find the grit to bounce back from a hurricane? The answer may lie in a postcard. 

Hiller said Kojzar gave him a stack of postcards from all the places his Navy ship had been. On one of the postcards — dated July 15, 1943 — Kojzar wrote a letter to his father: "Dear Dad, I’m in the naval hospital with bronchitis pneumonia. Don’t worry about me. They’re taking good care of me. Your son, Fritz." 

"That's from a real American and that’s what this country is about," an emotional Hiller told FOX 13. "I can hardly talk to you about it without choking up because it's such a sweet thing from a man's soul to his father."

Even then, Kojzar didn’t focus on the hardship. Instead, he was focused on pushing through it. And, that same spirit remains today, decades later. 

"If I just sit down and do nothing, it's not me," Kojzar said. "I like to keep it going."

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