Valarie Watts faced a heart-wrenching loss in July when she gave birth to her stillborn son, Noah. Overwhelmed with grief, she decided to sell most of the baby items she had bought in hopes of bringing Noah home, as a way to cope with her loss.
There was one item she couldn’t part with—the white crib. It held too many memories and emotions. But when Gerald Kumpula, a 75-year-old retiree, spotted the crib at Valarie’s yard sale, he was determined to buy it.
Gerald, a craftsman who makes benches from old headboards and footboards, knew the crib would be transformed into something special. Valarie, 28, learned about Gerald’s craft and felt a bit at peace. “I was kind of at peace with it because he’d be making something nice,” she said. She sold the crib to Gerald for just two dollars.
As Gerald’s wife, Lorene, looked through the baby clothes at the sale, she asked about Noah. Valarie shared her sorrowful story with Lorene, opening up about her loss. Lorene was moved by the story and shared it with Gerald on their way home.
The Kumpulas, who have 15 children and many grandchildren, felt a deep connection to Valarie’s grief, having faced a similar loss with their first grandchild. A week later, they returned with a surprise—a beautiful bench crafted from the crib Valarie had reluctantly sold.
“It’s beautiful,” Valarie told TODAY.com. “There are still good people out there,” she reflected, touched by their kindness.
Valarie placed the bench in her living room, near a corner bookcase filled with pictures, footprints, handprints, and Noah’s ashes. It became a place where she could sit, hug Noah’s bear, and remember him. “I’m so happy that it’s not just sitting around doing nothing,” Valarie said. “I can now sit in it, cuddle his bear, and reflect on him if necessary.”
Before Noah’s birth, Valarie had noticed less movement from him. On July 22, she and her fiancé, Jimi Hamblin, learned during a cesarean section that Noah had not survived. The doctors explained that Noah’s umbilical cord had become constricted, preventing him from breathing.
The Kumpulas understood Valarie’s pain deeply, having faced the same heartache themselves. Gerald shared, “An abandoned crib is a somber reminder. A bench functions more as a monument. It’s a part of that awful event, but it’s not just an empty crib.”
Gerald refused to take any money for the bench. “Being able to assist someone is just pleasant. Helping others is good,” he said simply.
Valarie and Jimi are planning their wedding for this autumn. They also have a 7-year-old daughter named Nevaeh. The bench, next to Noah’s memorial bookcase, has been a source of comfort for Valarie.
“Even though he’s not here, I feel comforted by his presence when I’m sitting in it,” she said. “Everything has a calm, ‘it’s okay’ vibe to it. I can sit on the bench and feel better when I’m feeling down; everything will work out in the end.”
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