Nonprofit extends raffling off former home of fallen McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy Dwight Maness to March

The widow of McHenry County Sheriff’s Deputy Dwight Maness Sue Maness is raffling off her McHenry house, worth $380,000, to one winner on March 15.

The raffle originally was to take place Dec. 24 but was extended until March when organizers failed to reach their fundraising goal of $750,000. They still have 3,800 tickets to sell, organizer Thomas Jones said.

Maness has been working with Knights of Columbus Council No. 8473 to raffle off the four-bedroom two-story house with a full basement and 3½ baths in McHenry’s Liberty Trails subdivision. Knights of Columbus also will give the winner an $118,000 luxury tax on the house, they will pay property taxes for the first year and homeowners’ insurance coverage for the first year.

The Maness family bought the house in 2013, only a year before Dwight Maness was shot in the line of duty. He died of complications from his wounds a year later.

Maness said she’s donating the house to make a fresh start that hasn’t been easy to do.

“It wasn’t an easy decision to make to get out of this, but it’s too big of a house for me to keep up by myself. I would like to see it go to some really nice family with kids, and it’s beautiful house.”

Although Maness is donating the house, it has meant a lot to her.

“It was mine and Dwight’s dream house. It’s very special to me. I loved living there,” she said.

For her, raffling the house is a chance to let someone else achieve their dream house.

“I figured it would be kind of a win-win situation, a good amount of money goes to charity as long as we meet that goal. I don’t actually have to sell my house. It’s a good opportunity for somebody to be able to attain a beautiful house for a small amount of money where they maybe wouldn’t be able to buy something like that,” she said.

Maness was looking to sell the home after recently buying a new one in Wonder Lake. Maness now lives in her Wonder Lake home with her son. Her daughter recently moved to Oklahoma to serve as a police officer.

The money will be divided among a number of nonprofits/charities, including a battered women’s shelter, GiGi’s Playhouse of McHenry, Main Stay Therapeutic Farm, Special Olympics, McHenry Housing Authority and P.A.D.S. of McHenry.

When you buy a $150 ticket, you have a 1 in 5,000 chance to win. Tickets only may be bought at www.kochomeraffle.com and winner doesn’t have to be present to win the house if his/her ticket is drawn. Winners must be 18 years old, live in the U.S. and present a photo ID to claim the prize.