In the wake of their son Staff Sgt. Joseph Villasenor’s heartbreaking car accident, Rachel and Raymond Villasenor were struck by a peculiar sight on his grave. Determined to understand what was going on, they embarked on a journey to uncover the truth, ultimately finding comfort in the unexpected generosity of a kind-hearted soul.
Joseph Villasenor was on his way to a softball game
Joseph Villasenor, a seasoned staff sergeant in the US Air Force, enlisted in 1994 and served for 16 years. Beyond his military career, the airman showcased his abilities as a skilled softball pitcher. His talents were recognized when he was chosen to pitch for the softball league at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina.
Tragically, on his way to a softball game in 2010, Villasenor was involved in a fatal car crash. The loss deeply affected his parents, with Rachel expressing in an interview, “He was a good kid, he loved children, he was really caring with other people.”
Villasenor found his final resting place at Garden Park Cemetery in Conroe, Texas. While residing three hours away in Arlington, his parents made a concerted effort to visit him as often as possible.
Jake Reissig visits his wife every day
Jake Reissig frequently visited Garden Park Cemetery, where his wife, Betty, was laid to rest. The couple enjoyed 65 years of marriage, and after her death in 2014, he made it a daily habit to visit her grave. During Betty’s lifetime, he brought her a single red rose, her favorite flower, each day. After her passing, he maintained this tradition, leaving a rose on her gravestone with every visit.
Texas experiences a serious drought
During the summer, Texas was hit by a severe drought, leading the grass to dry out and turn brown and brittle. This affected the patch over Betty’s plot at Garden Park Cemetery as well. Jake decided that in addition to his daily rose delivery, he would start watering the grass around his wife’s grave to keep it green and healthy.
Using the cemetery’s hose, he watered the grass twice daily. As a result, it soon became bright, green, and vibrant again, standing in stark contrast to the brown, brittle grass of the surrounding plots.
Joseph Villasenor’s parents were shocked by what they saw
When Joseph Villasenor’s parents went to visit his grave, they noticed the grass over his plot was green and healthy. This was a shock to them, considering they weren’t able to visit him every day and maintain the site.
At first, Rachel and Raymond thought the morning dew was the source, but they quickly realized that wasn’t possible, as the entire cemetery would have healthy grass if that was the case. They also wondered if it was a gift from above, but they soon learned exactly why the grass over their son’s grave was so vibrant.
Jake was watering Joseph Villasenor’s grass, too
After seeing a young woman crying over a gravestone near Betty’s, Jake went over to see who she’d been grieving for. He saw the grave belonged to a young staff sergeant from the Air Force named Joseph. That day, he decided he was going to water his plot of grass as well, saying, “It was the least I could do for him, you know.”
When Rachel went to visit her son’s grave, she noticed a stranger watering the grass. When she approached him, she introduced herself and became very emotional. She thanked Jake for his kindness and the two hugged. “It was just incredible to know that a stranger would take that much time and care for our son who he didn’t even know,” she later said.
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Jake’s children said they weren’t shocked after hearing what their father had been doing. “He’s a giving person,” shared his son, Roger. “The way dad treated mom and all of us – it’s not a surprise.” Sadly, Jake, too, passed away a few years later, at the age of 90. He was buried beside his wife at Garden Park Cemetery.
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