One of the most devastating things that can happen to a parent is for one of their children to die. Unfortunately, it does happen and when it does, those parents tend to hold onto their memories very carefully.

Although people may die for any number of different reasons, there are some who die as a result of war. It can be very difficult for any parent to wrap their head around that possibility when it comes to their own children, but it did happen when a 36-year-old Air Force Sgt. named Joseph passed away.

He was young and he had his entire life ahead of him, but his death was something that came as a surprise to everyone, including his parents. They continued to grieve their son for a long time, but then they saw something they weren’t expecting.

They went to the Garden Park Cemetery, where their son was buried and they noticed something strange about his grave. The surrounding graves were dry and brown but his was lush and green.

That is when they learned more about a man named Jacob Reissig. That 86-year-old man had a habit of being at the cemetery every day since his wife died.

In the morning, he goes to church and then he sees one of his children and enjoys a cup of coffee. He then headed home but not before visiting the Rose Garden and taking a single rose to the cemetery.

Jake had been married for 65 years and he visited her every day. One day, however, he saw Joseph’s sister and he walked over to talk about her brother and what the family was going through.

Jake was concerned that his wife’s burial plot would be dry because the weather was so poor. He wanted to keep it green, so he would water it twice daily.

He decided that he would also water the lawn at Joseph’s grave every day and it became something he worked into his routine. Even though he was a stranger, he showed that family how much he cared.

Joseph’s family was surprised when they saw the old man watering the grave. At first, they thought the green grass was a miracle but when they saw Jake, they ran over to give him a big hug.

After sharing the story on Facebook, it went viral for all the right reasons. Jake is more than a stranger now, he is a hero and loved by the family.