Losing a spouse is devastating. When Keith Davison, 94, lost his wife of 66 years to cancer in 2016, he found himself deeply depressed and lonely. To ease his pain, Davison, who has three adult children but no grandchildren, decided to install a backyard pool for neighborhood children to enjoy.
“You just can’t imagine what it’s like,” Davison told KARE 11.“You cry a lot. That’s just the way it is, because she’s not here.”
Now the 94-year-old retired judge’s days are filled with the laughter of kids who have turned out to take a dip the new pool. Check out this heartwarming video and hear Davison explain his decision.
Backyard Pool Brings Neighbors Together
Since Davison installed the pool in July, a steady stream of neighborhood families eager to take advantage of the summertime fun have dropped by. Davison requires a parent or grandparent to be present while children are swimming.
“Now we’re going to be here every day,” says Jaime Mundal, a neighborhood mom.
Davison’s neighbor Jessica Huebner was skeptical when he told her of his plans. However, she was delightfully surprised when the pool became a reality. She enjoys it regularly with her four children.
Huebner says she now tells Davison, “’You kind of adopted our whole neighborhood of kids, these are your grandkids.’”
Some may say that an expensive backyard pool doesn’t make much financial sense. But Davison said he finds it to be a worthy investment.
“I’m not sitting by myself looking at the walls,” he said. “What else would you think of doing where you could have a whole bunch of kids over every afternoon?”
Davison derives joy from the fun his pool provides to his young visitors . However, he also likes to go for a swim himself when the children have gone home for the day.
What a sweet story! This man keeps love in his heart and shares it with others. Kudos to him!