When Lori Franke and her husband, Scott Briggs, returned home Sunday, they found six decades of family history disappearing into flames. The fire destroyed the home that had long served as a gathering place for generations of Franke’s family. Along with it went cherished heirlooms, family photogr aphs and keepsakes tied to her mother’s journey to the United States after World War II. “This was her heart. This little piece of Texas was her heart,” Franke said. Investigators are still working to determine what caused the fire, though the couple believes it may have started in the garage. The family’s home still stands, but the damage left behind is extensive. Every surface inside is covered in soot. Franke said they have been told nothing inside can be salvaged. “It was like a museum. When she passed, I kept in the front room with her photographs and her paintings and the special things,” Franke said of the belongings left behind by her mother. Among the items lost were family mementos connected to Charlotte von Hartsberg, Franke’s mother, who was forced into the Hitler Youth as a child before later fleeing Nazi Germany and building a life in the United States. Now, the family says only a written history preserved inside a fireproof safe remains to document that journey. “The family tree’s been burnt from the top down.” “Yeah, does that make sense?” Franke said. The loss of those family treasures was devastating. The loss of the family’s two dogs, Max and Baby, was even more painful. The couple said they desperately tried to save the animals but were unable to reach them. In the days since the fire, Franke’s daughters have helped the couple navigate the overwhelming response from friends, coworkers and strangers who have offered support through online fundraisers and personal donations. “We have lots of people that have offered, you know, when you need something, if you need something, but we’re so clueless on what the future looks like, we don’t even know what we need,” Franke said. Despite the destruction, the couple says they plan to rebuild. “What we have left, what little we have left of those memories, we’ll hold onto them,” Franke said. “And hopefully with the girls and their kids and their kids’ kids, we’ll keep that legacy going.” For now, the family is focused on preserving what remains of a story that began overseas decades ago and continued on a small piece of Texas land they called home for more than 60 years. ...read more read less