When a family of three’s elderly neighbor passed away to their surprise he left them something behind. After he passed one day his daughter was going through his house and brought over a large sack to the neighbor’s house to deliver to them. But they could never be prepared for what was inside and their elderly neighbors one last act of kindness and love that he’d been preparing for months possibly years.
From trash to treasure…
That elderly man’s name was Ken Watson, 87-years-old, and in the sack, were 14 years worth of presents he had bought for his neighbor Owen Willimans two-year-old daughter. At first, Owen thought the bag might’ve been trash he recalls to News.Com.Au,
“She was clutching this big bag plastic sack and I thought it was rubbish she was going to ask me to throw out. But she said it was everything her dad had put away for Cadi. It was all of the Christmas presents he had bought for her.”
Every present individually wrapped with care. This was not a strange thing for Ken to do since he did not have any grandchildren of his own so he would purchase presents for children in his neighborhood. But for the Williams family, they were shocked to receive such a kind and thoughtful gift for their little daughter. Owen states to Barry and District News,
“We moved to the street three years ago and made a real point of going round and meeting all the neighbours. Ken wasn’t in when we first called round, but the next day we heard some banging.”
Once Owen and his wife Caroline went through the bag they were overcome with emotion at such a thoughtful gift from their neighbor. Once Owen’s twitter post went viral Owen decided to tell the story of how his family’s relationship with Ken grew over time. He writes,
“There’s some press interest in this story, so let me tell you a bit about the man: Ken was a former salvage diver, seaman, carpenter, baker… The first time I met him, he was bouncing a 20ft ladder across the face of his house. He was on top. He was 83 at the time. Our dog loved him. I mean, genuine visceral love. It was mainly due to the chocolate digestive biscuits he gave her on first meeting. She’d scream whenever she saw him. Really scream. Like a banshee. He’d call her “my darling” and “sweetheart”. This was there first meeting”
As the post continued to get revenue Owen decided to ask the followers what they think he and his wife should do. Do they wait to give Cadi the gifts one by one without knowing what’s inside or do they open the gifts pick which one she gets each year and rewrap it? The Williams were in a tricky situation, to say the least! But thankfully thousands of people had thoughts and opinions to give.
One Twitter user, @MissRachelle, shared her thoughts from reading this writing back to Owen,
“Stop it Owen, no one’s heart can take this. Plus is daughter delivered them? Oh the feelings… Take your time, he chose, wrapped and planned them, so he wanted to take his time too.”
Another Twitter user, @rachelgwenllian, commented her suggestion to the family writing,
“Oh my goodness, how absolutely lovely. What a special and thoughtful man he was… wow. My suggestion would be to follow his wishes & give a present each year… It doesn’t matter what it is, it’s the thought, the gesture, the kindness that’s important here & to keep that alive.”
Another user on Twitter, @JojJojoelle, wrote back,
“Beautiful. Utterly beautiful. Don’t open them, it’s the sentiment not that gift that is value. I am sure, they’re timeless anyway. As she gets older, she will learn the invaluable lesson, that the greatest gift to receive and give, is the beautiful gift of humanity.”
In an interview done with Barry and District News, they followed Ken Watson as he and a friend took off on an adventure to complete some unusual hobbies and sightseeing. He recalls his adventures and why he went looking for them stating,
“After my wife had passed away I took a long time to settle. There’s a space around me. I still hear her voice and speak to her. I began parachute jumping. I enjoy these sorts of things – I feel the rush of the air. The second jump was the best. I thought ‘gosh I’m an eagle’. Wing walking isn’t scary. I looked on the computer and it said 63 was the age limit, but as long as you have a medical certificate to say you are in good health it’s all right. I think my deep sea diving days helped. When I was considering becoming a diver I remember my wife said, ‘If you don’t try it you may always regret it’.”
Ken lived his life with passion and kindness until the very end of his days. What a truly special treat for Cadi and her parents to receive from their neighbor we are sure this family will carry his memory on for years to come.
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Our elderly neighbour passed away recently. His daughter popped round a few moments ago clutching a large plastic sack. In the sack were all the Christmas presents he’d bought for *our* daughter for the next thirteen years. 😢 pic.twitter.com/6CjiZ99Cor
— Owen Williams 🏴😷 (@OwsWills) December 17, 2018
