azcentral.com · Dec 23, 2018
Diamondbacks prospect Pavin Smith’s generous act for parents ‘gift that keeps on giving’
Pavin Smith talks about paying off his parents' mortgage on Nov. 14 at Salt River Fields. Mark Henle, The Republic
(Photo: Mark Henle, Mark Henle/The Republic)Pavin Smith knew mortgages had something to do with how homes were purchased, but he didn’t entirely understand how they worked or what it meant to have one.
It wasn’t until one day last year, while listening to his mom, Pam, talk about how many years she and his father, Tim, had to go to pay off the family house, that he realized what their mortgage had come to represent. It was a burden, a monthly obstacle, a source of stress hanging over his parents.
It’s also when he realized what he wanted to do for his folks come Christmas.