Jill and Berry Carter met on the University of Texas water ski team. He was from Weslaco, Texas, she from Houston. Berry noticed her immediately. “She could do it all—slalom, tricks, jumps,” he remembers. 

They spent hours on the same lake, sometimes in the same boat, but never quite aligned romantically. After graduation, Berry headed to Massachusetts for graduate school, then returned to Dallas to work for the Mavericks. Jill became a flight attendant and moved to Los Angeles. 

Years later, at the wedding of two close friends, their paths crossed again. “It was like we saw each other for the first time,” Jill says. They married later that year.  

They built a life in Dallas and raised three children—Cayman, Harrison and Payton. Berry eventually started his own business, and the family later moved to Newport Beach, drawn to the coast and its sense of community. 

Berry founded S&B Filters, an auto parts manufacturer, and later launched Cold Creek Tubs, manufacturing cold plunge tubs—a nod to the family’s love for sports and activity. “All our kids are involved,” Jill says. “It’s busy, but it’s a good kind of busy.” 

Though Newport Beach is home, the Carters found something special near Indio—a small, private lake tucked into the desert. “It’s like glass 24/7,” Berry says. They found a house that was, as Jill puts it, “turnkey fabulous.” 

What sealed the deal wasn’t the décor or the view, it was what the place invited—a reason to gather, rooms filled with laughter and long days on the water with family. 

Weekends and summers soon revolved around the lake house. The kids grew up tubing and water skiing. Now grandkids drive side-by-sides and tube behind the boat. “It’s heaven on earth,” Jill says. 

Then, one night, that heaven caught fire.  

Fourteen people were in the house when Payton smelled smoke. Jill assumed it was outside, but they called 911. When firefighters arrived, Berry met them in the driveway. “I told them, ‘I don’t think I have a fire.’ A firefighter opened the door and said, ‘You have a fire.’” 

The blaze had traveled from the fireplace into the attic. Everyone escaped safely and gathered across the street, watching flames break through the roof. With no streetlights, the fire lit up the night. “It was horrible to watch,” Jill says. “The worst day of my life.” 

The next morning, they called PURE and spoke with adjuster Shawn Roessler. Her first questions were not about paperwork. “Is everyone ok? Do you need anything? I can get you a cash advance if you need it.” 

From the very start of the claim, Shawn worked to create a meaningful relationship with the Carters, reassuring them and building a real sense of trust. “I let them know it was okay to be sad,” Shawn remembers. “I reassured them that what they were feeling was valid and that we would get through this so that they could get back to making memories in the house they love, with the people they love. 

The house had to be taken down to the studs. Shawn found them a rental on the same lake and managed the claim with speed and clarity. But what Jill remembers most is a hug. “I started crying,” she says. “Shawn hugged me and said, ‘Don’t worry. We’ll take care of it.’” 

“My message to other PURE members,” Berry says, “is that while your policy explains what’s covered, you don’t truly appreciate its value until it’s put into action. Hopefully you never go through a devastating situation, but that’s when you quickly see how strong the coverage is and how committed PURE is to its members.” 

More than a year later, the house is completely restored—new walls, same view. The fire changed Jill and Berry. Gratitude now threads through everything. “It deepened our faith,” Jill says. “It reminded us of what matters most.” 

The lake house was never just a house. And what mattered most was never lost.