Photos by Jared Soares | The Roanoke Times

Morris "Mac" Mundy spent Saturday and Sunday plowing the streets in his Vinton neighborhood and wouldn't accept any money for his good deeds, his neighbors said.

Morris "Mac" Mundy plowed his Village Green neighborhood over the weekend.

Snow Angels, it seems, are all around us.

As it turns out, heavy snow like the kind that briefly paralyzed Southwest Virginia this past weekend brings out a certain kind of person. It brings out people who aren't afraid to work hard with no regard for reward, people who think nothing of helping strangers.

It brings out people such as Morris "Mac" Mundy of Vinton. The 65-year-old climbed on his tractor at 8 a.m. Saturday to clear the roads of his Village Green neighborhood and didn't stop working until 5 p.m. Sunday.

"I didn't do it for the money, I did it for the neighborhood," Mundy said as neighbors vainly tried to thrust dollar bills into his hands.

We call people like Mundy Snow Angels, and we asked readers to tell us about the ones they encountered during and after the big snow storm. Readers from Boones Mill to Bonsack, from Rocky Mount to Roanoke, told us stories of neighbors who spent hours shoveling snow for them, of anonymous strangers straining their back muscles to push cars out of snowdrifts, of motorists going extra miles over icy roads to deliver stranded travelers home safely.

Here are some of those stories.

My husband is sick and we weren't able to dig out, so we resigned ourselves that we would just have to stay in for a while, cancelling my husband's doctor appointment for Monday. I prayed that God would send our next door neighbor, since we were unable to reach him by phone, but God led our other neighbor to check on us and see if we needed help. I learned not to put a name on who God sends when you ask for help. Our wonderful neighbor, Donnie Spencer, his son Jordan and another neighbor, Bret, came to our rescue and wouldn't accept anything for their hard work.

Rose Mary Davis

Rocky Mount

I work in a bank, and Friday afternoon after the bank let us all go home at 3, I headed down Virginia 114 to pick up my young children from my mother's house in Fairlawn. The roads were terrible, as well as the traffic. At Vicker Switch hill, my mini-van started going sideways and I ended up on the side of the road, stuck. I sat there wondering what I should do next. Out of nowhere a large white work-type truck pulled up. Three or four of what I believe to be Hispanic gentlemen got out of the truck and started to push me out of the snow I was stuck in. My van was free now and went a total of about five feet before I was spinning and going nowhere. These guys then started pushing me while the driver of the truck rode to the top of the hill and parked. He ran back down the hill to help. These gentlemen pushed my van to the top of the hill. All I could do was honk my horn and wave at them as I had to keep going. I would really like to tell my "Snow Angels" THANK YOU!!! Their truck had Alderman Landscaping on the door and I appreciate them going out of their way for a total stranger.

Lisa Jones

Christiansburg

We live on a mountainside in Vinton, in the Falling Creek subdivision. Late Friday afternoon in the midst of heavy snowfall, I attempted to drive up Toddsbury Drive but after going just a few yards skidded to the side of the road. Could not move forward or backward, only sideways! Used my cell to ask my husband at the house to walk down and help me (about a mile walk). Soon heard and saw a small all-terrain vehicle coming down the snowy hill with my husband leaning into the back of the driver. This guardian angel helped me onto the back of his ATV and headed back up the mountain, turning several times to ask, "You OK?" Both my husband and I eventually got home and settled in to watch the beautiful snow, but we are still talking about our "Snow Angel." In the excitement we never did get his name, but I think I know in which yard at the base of the mountain that I have seen the ATV. Will be dropping by with a gift of appreciation for our rescuer!

Doris Gamelin

Vinton

It's early Saturday afternoon and snow is everywhere. I have been outside shoveling for hours now and seemingly getting nowhere. My car is on the side of the road in front of my house, not in my driveway because there is 20 inches of snow there. We look and see coming up the street a young man on a four-wheeler with a snow blade and he stops to ask if we need some help. We gladly accept the offer and he plows our street. He plowed my driveway and would not accept any money for plowing it enough to get my car in. I made the comment "He's an angel in disguise." THANK YOU, even though I do not know your name. God Bless You!

Linda Lawson

Christiansburg

We had a man who truly showed how much he cared for his neighbors and his community. Knowing that all the hardworking people in VDOT were trying their best to keep the main roads open and that it would be a while before they got to us, "Mac" Mundy decided to just take a long ride on his John Deere tractor, a two-day ride in the streets of his community, finally opening up a lane of freedom for everyone. He would open your driveway if you came out and asked him. When people were going to pay him, he just said no thanks and kept on plowing.

Mark Custer

Vinton (Bedford County)

"Mac" Mundy wouldn't accept any gratuity for his good deeds. I know I speak for a lot of my neighbor's as well as myself in saying a big THANK YOU to Mac Mundy for his kindness and hard work for all his neighbors. A lot of us didn't even know him, nor did he know us. You are a "special" person Mr. Mundy. They don't make 'em like you any more.

H.M. Dannel

Vinton

On Friday I needed a ride back to Buena Vista from Charlottesville. I had just finished my finals at the University of Virginia, and my parents were busy at work. So I called my friend Drew to give me a ride by coming all the way from Buena Vista, and unfortunately we got stuck in the snow just a few miles from home, and he couldn't get his car out. While we were stuck somebody I didn't know helped us out. He had a diesel truck, and a lot of people had already passed by us. Then, as we were talking I figured out he was a teacher at my old middle school and he taught my little sister, so I figured out his name was Mr. Bailey. I want to say thanks to him because many people had already passed and he even tried to help us get unstuck and tried a few different routes and had a lot of patience.

Wing Kuang

Buena Vista

My husband Troy always comes to my rescue, but in the past few days he's helped out many others. When the snow first started, he picked up my mother and brought her to our house to get snowed in with us, along with her grandson. When he drove her back home after the storm, he cleaned off her walkway. He shoveled the driveway and sidewalk of an older neighbor next door to us, and dug out her car for her. He and another guy shoveled our other next door neighbor's walkway and sidewalk, and he helped shovel the driveway of a friend up the street from us whose husband is out of town until January. This kind of thing comes to him naturally, and he never expects a thank you.

Nicole Lenderking

Roanoke

My new neighbors, Heather and Tim, who just moved to the Boones Mill area from Alaska, were my Snow Angels. The two of them came over and helped me clean my car off, clean up around the area where the car is parked, sidewalks, etc. I would never have been able to have done this on my own. Without their help, I probably wouldn't have been able to get to work on Monday. I also got help from two more neighbors down the road from me. Reuben Bowman, the young man who helps me with yard work throughout the year, came up to check on me under the pretense of bringing fresh baked doughnuts. Within the hour, his father showed up on his tractor to clear my driveway. Then another neighbor, Mr. Montgomery, who is in his 80s, brought his new tractor up the gravel drive and cleared some more! These wonderful neighbors were all my Snow Angels.

Jeri Repscha

Boones Mill

My wife's van got hung up in the snow piled up by the plows, and it was hanging out across Brandon Avenue and stopping traffic. I ran over, but cars started driving around our van and no one would stop long enough for me to get out in the road and push her out. Finally a young guy with a beard stopped and jumped out of his truck to help. The two of us had no trouble freeing the van, but if he hadn't been there I don't know what we would have done.

Charlie Evans

Roanoke

We live in Montgomery County and our rural subdivision is usually one of the last roads to get plowed. So, when the snow storm came, we didn't expect for our road to be plowed any time soon. But I was wrong! Saturday morning, one of our neighbors used his Bobcat to plow our road ... and EVERYONE'S driveway! Another neighbor assisted by plowing with his tractor. I thought that was really nice. I guess we have some good people living in Pilot.

Laura Robinson

Pilot

I live on Plantation Road and from the road to my garage it's about a city block long. I was wondering how I was going to get my driveway cleared to be able to come to work today. I looked out my window Sunday and my neighbors (three of them) were outside shoveling my driveway. How sweet is that? I got on my boots and grabbed a shovel and between the four of us, we got my driveway totally clear. If it had not been for my angelic neighbors, I would still be stuck! Thanks Gary, Elizabeth and Barb! God Bless!

Teresa Weeks

Roanoke

When we were trying to get our four-wheel-drive out yesterday, my husband had to put it in reverse and when he did, the car slid down into our yard. We couldn't get it out. It couldn't get any traction, so it kept sliding farther down in the yard. Our neighbor across the street helped us dig it out, gave us plastic grates to put behind our tires for traction and then pulled our car out with his truck. Thanks Smokey!!!

Talia Barton

Roanoke

Jason VanNess from Eagle Rock is my snow angel during this bad weather. Jason VanNess traveled about 30 miles from Eagle Rock to get me dug out. Had to put chains on his truck to get to my house and then got hung up in the driveway and had to dig his truck out before he could get up the driveway.