Mom was clueless why only soldier son’s grave plot was getting greener—until the tear-jerking truth left her speechless
It is hard to cope with the loss of loved ones. Even years after their passing, time is still difficult and their memories are forever etched in the hearts of their families. There is some connection that grieving people share. Though they’re strangers, the grief binds them together with a relatable feeling and their support becomes a pillar of strength. A woman named Rachel Villasenor, mother of United States Air Force member, late Joseph Villasenor, was experiencing this grief each time she visited the grave of her son, per Click 2 Houston. However, the mom noticed his grave suddenly began showing greener grass each time she visited. When she learned how this had happened, she was moved to tears.
Joseph passed away tragically in 2010. "He was a good kid, he loved children, he was really caring with other people," his mom noted. She mentioned that she’d often visit her son’s grave at the Garden Park Cemetery in Conroe with her husband. However, after a while, she began to spot that the grass on the grave was getting greener. “We noticed his plot was kind of moist and we were thinking maybe it's the dew, but looking around, Joe's was the only one that had dew on it,” Rachel recalled. The mom was confused and wondered what could cause only Joseph’s grave to be so bright and green. She believed an angel was watching over her son.
Soon, the mom discovered that this angel was not a spiritual figure but a stranger with a big heart. Then 86-year-old, Jake Reissig had been visiting his wife’s grave every day and he was behind the refreshing view the Villasenors enjoyed. "She has been gone a year and three months, and I still miss her," the elderly man noted. In a Facebook post, his son, Roger, revealed that Jake would visit his wife’s grave every 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,” he wrote.
He even shared a picture of his mom’s grave while his dad watered it, standing bright and colorful from the rest. It was this ritual that united him with the Villasenors. “One day while watering, he saw a young lady down from him kneeling at a grave and crying uncontrollably,” Roger said. When Jake went over, he saw Joseph’s grave and realized he was a soldier. “Dad decided to honor this soldier and start watering his grass along with mom’s daily. He does it every day. He said it is the least he can do for him after all that he sacrificed for us,” the post read.
When Rachel realized who it was, she was moved. “It was just incredible to know that a stranger would take that much time and care for our son, whom he didn't even know," she remarked. In another post, the son later revealed that in 2019, Jake passed away peacefully and is now reunited with his wife. His little act of kindness will forever be etched in the Villasenors’ hearts.