Losing a loved one is probably the most painful thing any human being could go through. You never truly get over it. This is undoubtedly true, and the loss of a spouse makes the pain much more unbearable.
After 66 years of marriage, Keith Davison, a retired district court judge, was heartbroken when his wife, Evy, succumbed to cancer.
The loneliness was exacerbated by the deafening silence of the home they once shared.
Keith has been a very active person. He played bass and tuba in local musical ensembles and served as an Army radio operator during World War II.
“You just can’t imagine what it’s like,” he remarked. “You cry a lot. That’s just the way it is because she’s not here.”
But now that his wife was gone, he was always alone.
At his age, he didn’t have much he could do. After being a widower for more than a year, Keith realized how lonely life was and he came up with an unusual idea: why not construct a pool in his backyard?
For the sake of the neighboring children, Keith constructed an in-ground pool in his backyard in 2017, when he was 94 years old.
Now, children’s joyful squeals can be heard throughout his home!
The pool ended up being the ideal solution for both easing his sadness and bringing joy to others.
Many people gathered in Keith’s garden to beat the summer heat after it was finished in July 2017. He said, “I knew they’d come.”
When he originally pitched the concept to his neighbors, they assumed he was kidding.
“This spring when I saw him marking the yard, I told my husband, ‘he’s really going to put a pool in his backyard,'” Jessica Huebner, one of his neighbors, recalled.
Jessica and her four kids have been frequent visitors ever since Keith’s pool opened. She is grateful to Keith for coming up with this idea since it has given so many children so much fun.
“It’s him spreading joy throughout our neighborhood for these kids,” she continued.
It is clear that Keith really went all out with his pool because it is 32 feet long and 9 feet deep beneath the diving board. His private pool was a nice addition to the community as their little town lacked an outdoor public pool.
They are “going to be here every day,” according to Jaime Mundal, another neighbor.
Keith doesn’t have any grandkids but has three grown children.
No wonder he loves having these kids around! In fact, Jessica told him, “You kind of adopted our whole neighborhood of kids. These are your grandkids.”
Keith isn’t too keen on rules, unlike other public pools. He just asks that an adult be there while the kids are swimming.
Of course, everyone will be having a good time, not just the kids.
Keith mentioned that he occasionally enjoys swimming in the pool. Exercise is a great method for an elderly person to unwind. Keith has no regrets, despite the fact that putting a pool in his backyard isn’t very cheap.
“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?”
Keith now has the whole neighborhood to share his free time with and it’s keeping him feeling young indeed!
Watch the video below to see how Keith brightened up the neighborhood.
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