Valarie Watts was devastated when her baby, Noah, was stillborn in July. While grieving, she decided to sell most of the baby items she had bought.
However, she couldn’t bring herself to sell the white crib, so she left it out of her garage sale. But when 75-year-old Gerald Kumpula, a retired craftsman, saw it, he asked to buy it.
At first, 28-year-old Valarie hesitated, but she eventually agreed after learning that Gerald made benches from old headboards and footboards.
Watts felt a little better knowing the crib would be turned into something nice, so she sold it for $2.
While talking to Gerald’s wife, Lorene, Watts shared her heartbreaking story after Lorene noticed baby clothes at the sale and asked how old her son was.
On the way home, Lorene told Gerald about Watts’ loss. The Kumpulas, who have 15 children and many grandchildren, felt the crib should stay with Watts. A week later, they surprised her with a bench made from the crib.
Watts told TODAY.com, “It’s beautiful. It reminded me that kind people still exist.” She placed the bench in her living room to remember Noah.
“I’m so happy it’s being used and not just sitting somewhere,” Watts said. “Now I can sit on it, hold his bear, and think about him when I need to.”
In the final days of her full-term pregnancy, Watts noticed less movement from Noah. On July 22, she had a C-section, just hours after she and her fiancé, Jimi Hamblin, were told there was no heartbeat. Doctors explained that the umbilical cord had been compressed, cutting off Noah’s oxygen.
The Kumpulas deeply understood Watts’ grief, as their first granddaughter was also stillborn.
“An unused crib is a painful reminder,” Gerald said. “But a bench feels more like a memorial. It still holds the memory, but it’s not as heartbreaking as seeing an empty crib.”
Watts wanted to pay him, but Gerald refused.
“It just feels good to do something kind for someone,” he said. “Helping others is what matters.”
Watts has a 7-year-old daughter, Nevaeh, and is set to marry Hamblin this fall. She says the bench, placed near a bookcase holding Noah’s photos, handprints, footprints, and ashes, is helping her heal.
“When I sit on it, I feel comforted, like he’s still with me in a way,” said Watts, who works as a babysitter. “It gives me a sense of peace. When I’m feeling down, I sit on the bench, and it reminds me that everything will be okay.”