Veteran’s Mom Was Shocked When A Man Did This To His Grave

It’s inevitable, but it’s never easy. When a loved one dies, the griever is left with a void. When Jake Reissig’s adoring wife of 65 years lost her life, it was hard to say goodbye. To never hear Liz’s voice, her footsteps, or her touch ever again was a heartbreaking thought.

But this widower wouldn’t let her memory fade into nothing, for he knew that her spirit lived on. Visiting his late wife’s grave became a ritual-not just of mourning, but of beauty. For with every visit, her grave site appeared more alive- blanketed in rich green grass among a field of dying vegetation.

But why does her grave-site stand out from the rest?

Roger Reissig
Roger Reissig

The secret lies in this devoted husband’s tender care. Jake is 86 years old—but his adoration stands the test of time.

Every day, Jake performs the same routine. He attends church, cuts roses from his garden and visits the Garden Park Cemetery in Conroe, Texas, where his late wife was buried.

He gently arranges the flowers on her tombstone then uses a hose to water the grass surrounding her grave.

Roger Reissig
Roger Reissig

But one summer, his town suffered a drought. As he looked around the cemetery, he realized that the grass around Liz’s plot was starting to shrivel, and that the rest of the graveyard’s turf had turned into an ugly brown. He gave his wife’s grave extra water until it returned to its lush green.

Then one day, while on his usual visit, he noticed something disheartening. He saw a woman, knelt over a grave, sobbing uncontrollably.

When he went to console the woman, he learned that she was grieving over the death of her brother—a fallen U.S. soldier.

dignity memorial
dignity memorial

Jake learned that the soldier’s name was Joseph Anthony Villasenor. He served the U.S. Air Force for 16 years before he died in a car accident at 36 years old.

The old man was inspired, and decided to do something for Joseph and his family who sacrificed so much.

So his daily visits, Jake watered two plots- one for his late wife, and the other for the fallen soldier.

Roger Reissig
Roger Reissig

When Joseph’s family came to visit, they were shocked to see his plot covered in vibrant green. When they realized that Jake was the miracle worker, they were overwhelmed by his kindness.

After the story was posted on Facebook, it went viral.

Roger Reissig

It’s been over a year now since Mom left us to go to her Heavenly home. Dad goes out to the grave to visit her twice a day. He has a routine where he clips some roses from his rose garden at home and delivers them to Mom. Then he hooks up a hose and waters her grass twice daily. With the recent drought, and hers being one of only graves getting watered, you can see that Moms stands out from the rest and is very beautiful.

One day while watering he saw a young lady down from him kneeling at a grave and crying uncontrollably. Dad went down and talked with her and found that her husband had been an SSGT in the US Air Force and lost him in 2010. After they talked and shared stories, she thanked him and left. Dad decided to Honor this soldier and start watering his grass along with Moms daily. He does it every day. He said it is the least he can do for him after all that he sacrificed for us. You can see his green grass in the pictures down from Moms. Very thankful for this young Man’s service and very proud of my Dad and what he does to Honor him. Love you Dad !

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Joseph’s mother explained, “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.”

Sometimes it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. A nice gesture may seem small to you, but to another, it could mean the world.

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