While a community mourns a friend, father, and firefighter, this NFL player is being hailed for quietly reaching out to ease their financial struggles.

Last week, firefighter Captain Cory Barr died in a gas explosion when he was responding to a call near his home in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin. In addition to Cory's wife Abby having to grieve her husband, the explosion also destroyed the tavern that she managed with her husband.

A 15-year veteran of the fire department, Barre was also beloved by his community – so as a means of raising money for their fallen friend, a local church started a GoFundMe page for Barr's family.

One Twitter user took it upon themselves to send a direct message to JJ Watt, the defensive backend for the Houston Texans football team, in the hopes that the Wisconsin native would sympathize with the cause.

The tweet read: "[JJ Watt] please do what you can for Cory Barr's family. He was very well known, liked & appreciated in the Sun Prairie community. He was brave and a true hero! Any & all support from one fellow firefighter family to another!"

@JJWatt please do what you can for Cory Barr's family. He was very well known, liked & appreciated in the Sun Prairie community. He was brave and a true hero! Any & all support from one fellow fire fighter family to another! #RIPCaptCoryBarr #firefamily https://t.co/oEE9aCNPqW

— Jenna Blaser (@jennnn_bunny) July 11, 2018

@JJWatt please do what you can for Cory Barr's family. He was very well known, liked & appreciated in the Sun Prairie community. He was brave and a true hero! Any & all support from one fellow fire fighter family to another! #RIPCaptCoryBarr #firefamily https://t.co/oEE9aCNPqW

Not long after, a massive donation of $10,000 was made to the GoFundMe page courtesy of JJ Watt.

He did not publicize his good deed or draw attention to it, but people noticed. The original goal for the campaign was $15,000; within a few hours, it had raised over $40,000. One day later, the page has now raised $121,000.

Share This Inspiring Story Of Kindness With Your Friends – Photo by Jeffrey Beall, CC