What started as a way to cope with grief has turned into a fixture on one Warwick front lawn.

For years, John “Jack” Burnett has been a familiar face along Norwood Avenue in Warwick, Rhode Island, where his lawn is often filled with bicycles, furniture, tools and other repaired items for sale.

Burnett and his wife, Patricia, moved to the neighborhood in 1976. He worked as a roofer and later as a high school custodian before retiring in 2020.

Around that time, Patricia became seriously ill.

“She got rushed to the hospital three times. The third time, she passed away,” Burnett recalled. “She seemed like she was getting better but she didn’t. I did the best I could.”

He said the loss left him unable to do much for about a year.

“For about a year I just didn’t want to do nothing. Nothing,” he said.

Burnett eventually returned to something he had long enjoyed, fixing things. Driving around Warwick, he began picking up discarded items from the curb if he thought he could repair them.

He started sanding, painting and restoring items ranging from lawn equipment to patio furniture.

“To keep myself busy and to help out, I pick up stuff and I fix it up,” Burnett said.

A large hand-painted sign with his phone number now sits among the changing collection on his lawn.

Burnett said the sales help supplement his fixed income, but making money is not his main aim.

“If I can help somebody else out, and help myself out, that’s what I do,” he explained.

He said he keeps his prices low because many families are struggling.

“Money is tight,” he said. “If I can help somebody else out, and help myself out, that’s what I do.”

One recent customer shared Burnett’s story on Facebook after buying a lawnmower from him, and he said the response was immediate.

“She told me not to be mad at her, but she went on Facebook and told the whole world about me,” Burnett said with a laugh.

He said people then began calling and messaging, offering scrap metal, donating items and reaching out to support what he was doing.

Burnett said the people he meets have become one of the best parts of the project. He has made friends and spent years talking with neighbors and strangers who stop by.

“It’s for sale, but if they really need it, I don’t mind giving it away,” he said.

“It’s nice talking to people, meeting different people,” he said. “I wish everybody would be kind to each other. Life is short.”

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