Dad secretly sets up the memorial for his son – 13 years later, he finds a note from a billionaire
I don’t believe anyone truly heals from the loss of a family member.
And even though you might not be able to see your loved one in person again, going to their grave or memorial helps you to at least momentarily feel their presence.
In a car accident on a Richmond, California, road in 2003, Ray Olson lost his son, Raymond. A drunk driver murdered the 22-year-old.
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The multibillion-dollar company Chevron held the property where Raymond was killed, and Ray was so certain that the company would never allow him to build an official memorial that he didn’t even ask.
Instead, he built a memorial there and went to it every night in secret. Until Ray heard shocking news from the company one day: the area would be redeveloped.
A mystery roadside memorial was located for many years on property owned by energy giant Chevron in Richmond, California. According to NBC News, no one knew who set it up and maintained it.
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“We’d see that it was being maintained, but we’d never see who was maintaining it,” Chevron executive Joe Lorenz said.
Ray Olson was found to be the memorial’s caretaker. He paid a nightly visit to the location for more than 12 years in memory of his son, who had passed away in a nearby vehicle accident.
Ray then suffered heartbreak in 2016. He was informed that the neighborhood would receive redevelopment. Chevron said the property required an upgrade, so they posted and left a message at the memorial, asking the unnamed caretaker to get in touch with the energy giant.
Ray Olson decided to move forward at that point. He felt sure Chevron would take his monument and his memories with it.
“I just knew they were going to take it down,” Olson said.
But he surely never thought the company would build a new memorial in its place. Yet as it turned out, the company built a plaque in Ray’s son’s honor and put a bench next to it for visiting mourners like Ray.
“We said, ‘This is your spot, Ray. “You no longer have to come at night,” Joe Lorenz from Chevron told NBC News, adding:
The business got in touch with the neighborhood council’s president, Cesar Zepeda, and asked about working together to build a permanent monument.
“Knowing that you’ve given life and hope to a father… and knowing that you make somebody’s life better, it’s an amazing, amazing feeling to have,” Zepeda said.
We can all agree on one thing, no matter how often we argue with our parents: how much love and affection they offer us. Nobody could ever love and care for us as unconditionally as our parents do. Even though we don’t always agree with our parents on everything, we can all agree that they show us much love and affection. Nobody could ever love and care for us as unconditionally as our parents do. Parents demonstrate unconditional love when they embrace and offer affection to their children despite their flaws or mistakes. In other words, it is unconditional love. As a result, parents embrace and value their children just as they are.
Kindness and compassion are all about this. If this tale moved your heart as well, please tell others about it.
