Valarie Watts faced a heartbreaking moment in July when she delivered her son, Noah, stillborn. As she mourned, she decided to sell most of the baby items she had lovingly bought, hoping to bring Noah home. However, there was one thing she couldn’t let go of—a white crib. It held too much meaning for her, so when she had a yard sale last month, the crib wasn’t up for grabs.
But then, 75-year-old retiree Gerald Kumpula spotted the crib. He was drawn to it and asked Valarie if he could buy it. Gerald was a craftsman who loved to create benches out of old headboards and footboards.
Knowing this, Valarie hesitated but eventually agreed. “I was kind of at peace with it because he’d be making something nice,” she explained. She sold the crib for just two dollars.
As they chatted during the sale, Gerald’s wife, Lorene, noticed some baby clothes and asked Valarie how old her son was. This question opened the door for Valarie to share her tragic story. Lorene listened with compassion.
On the drive home, Lorene told Gerald what Valarie had been through. The Kumpulas, who had 15 children and many grandchildren, felt a deep empathy for Valarie’s loss. They knew the crib belonged with her, not as an empty reminder but as something more meaningful. A week later, they returned to Valarie’s house, carrying a special gift—a bench crafted from the crib she had reluctantly sold.
When Valarie saw the bench, she was deeply moved. “It’s beautiful,” she said in an interview with TODAY.com. “There are still good people out there,” she realized, feeling the warmth of their gesture.
Valarie placed the bench in her living room, a space filled with memories of Noah. She said, “I’m so happy that it’s not just sitting around doing nothing.” Now, instead of an empty crib, she has a bench where she can sit, hold Noah’s teddy bear, and think about him.
During the final days of her full-term pregnancy, Valarie had noticed that Noah wasn’t moving as much. On July 22, during a cesarean section, Valarie and her fiancé, Jimi Hamblin, received the devastating news that Noah wasn’t breathing. The doctors explained that his umbilical cord had tightened, cutting off his oxygen.
The Kumpulas understood Valarie’s pain more than most. Their first grandchild had also been stillborn. Gerald reflected, “An empty 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 accept any payment for the bench. “Being able to help someone is just pleasant. Helping others is good,” he said simply.
Valarie and Jimi are planning to get married this fall, and they have a 7-year-old daughter named Nevaeh. The bench, now placed next to a corner bookcase filled with pictures, footprints, handprints, and Noah’s ashes, is helping Valarie find some peace.
“Even though he’s not here, I feel comforted by his presence when I’m sitting in it,” Valarie shared. “Everything has a calm, ‘it’s okay’ vibe to it. I can sit on the bench and feel better when I’m sad; everything will work out in the end.”
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