Fort Myers police step in to help man without a family

A kind gesture from Fort Myers police officers helped cheer up an older man without a family.

Harry is 90 years old, alone in the world, and struggling. Mr. Harry, as he’s known, needed help.

“He needed more help than what we were able to provide for him,” said Debbie Bill, an administrative assistant at Pelican Preserve.

Bill was a friend and neighbor to Mr. Harry. Now, a group of Fort Myers police officers has also befriended him after hearing his story. They got him into Gull Point at Estero, an assisted living facility.

“Before, he was a little bit struggling, and now he couldn’t be happier where he’s at,” said Officer Kenneth McCoy.

“He’s gaining weight, he’s getting new clothes, talking, more active. And it’s just really great to hear that he’s come that far,” Bill said.

The cops didn’t just drop off Mr. Harry – they stayed in touch.

“Harry is a very happy, optimistic guy; even being 90 years old, he still has this zest for life that people half his age don’t have. So it’s great to be able to put him in a position to keep going and keep living his life to the fullest,” McCoy said.

When the facility threw a barbecue for families at Gull Point, none other than his Fort Myers police friends showed up for Mr. Harry.

“He got a little teary-eyed a couple times because he just couldn’t believe the outpouring and the response that he keeps getting from us here at Fort Myers, and we’re happy to be there for him,” McCoy said.

“You hear all the bad things happening, and this was truly a great personal experience to see something good happen in our community,” Bill said.

Mr. Harry is pretty happy about that, too.