Pearl Jam buys home for mom of fallen bandmate

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Pearl Jam buys home for mom of fallen bandmate
by Tristan Baurick



BAINBRIDGE ISLAND — Toni Wood’s face beamed as she gave a tour of the new mobile home that replaces the old, dilapidated one she lived in for years.

She showed off the bathroom (“Go inside, you have to look at the tub!”), the bright, airy living room (“I love it!”), even the ceiling (“No leaks!”) and flipped a few light switches to prove the new wiring’s prowess (“The electrician at the old place had asked me, ‘Toni, do you have fire insurance?’”)

Her favorite part?

“The part of the house I like best is the love that got it for me,” she said.

Wood’s home was purchased by Pearl Jam and their fans.

Two members of the Seattle rock band were in the group Mother Love Bone with Wood’s son, Andy Wood, a cherubic singer who pranced the stage in spandex, white face paint and glitter, and seemed destined for stardom.

Andy, who grew up on Bainbridge, died after a heroin overdose in 1990, just before Mother Love Bone’s debut album was released and the world’s musical tastes veered heavily toward all things Seattle.

In the musical movement that would later be known as grunge, Andy Wood is considered a tragic icon who flamed out just before the explosion.

His bandmates, Stone Gossard and Jeff Ament, found a replacement singer in Eddie Vedder and renamed the band. Pearl Jam formed just in time to join fellow Northwest rockers Nirvana and Soundgarden in taking over the world’s airwaves.

Gossard, one of Pearl Jam’s two guitarists, remained in contact with Toni and her two other sons. He was quick to call when he heard that Toni, who is in her 70s and works as a part-time caregiver, was living in a mobile home with tarps on the roof.

“He said, ‘Why don’t we see about getting you a new house,’” she said. “Him saying that — it was magic to me. It took my breath away.”

Gossard launched an online fundraising site in September and promoted it on Pearl Jam’s website and social media sites. He also auctioned off a few signed guitars and band memorabilia.

On the band’s website, Gossard described Toni as “a magical woman” whose “spirit is close to Andy’s, to whom she gave so much love, humor and spark.”

“Toni is now in her 70s and living in a leaky, dilapidated trailer with bad wiring, while still being a part-time caregiver,” Gossard wrote. “The more (Ament) and I learned about her situation, the more we felt we couldn’t ignore it. We decided to go for it and get her a new trailer.”

It didn’t take long for fans to donate more than $36,000. The members of Pearl Jam and Mother Love Bone’s former manager chipped in $40,000.

A few days ago, Wood got a nice surprise when she visited her bank.

“I always go and whisper to my teller, ‘How much do I have left?’ because my account’s always verging on setting off all kinds of bells and whistles,” Wood said. “And she came back and said ‘I don’t think you have to worry.’”

The money has paid for the full replacement of Wood’s home, and there’s a little left over for some landscaping.

“I’m going to have a little garden here,” she said, pointing to a narrow strip between her home and a neighbor’s home. “And a little front yard here. Maybe grass. And a little tree. I have to have a tree.”

A friend, Stephanie Farwell, walked by to check out the new place.

“Well look, it’s the lord of the manor! I love it!” she said.

For Farwell, Wood deserves the help — and not because she’s the mother of a rock star.

“Talk about somebody who deserves a break,” Farwell said. “This lady has been a professional caregiver for so many years. She’s the best-hearted person. As far as I’m concerned, she’s an island treasure.”

Toni’s hands fluttered over her smile and her feet shifted about on the porch.

“I’m bubbling,” she said. “I’m just bubbling from all the joy, all the love.”