I don’t think anyone ever truly stops grieving the loss of a family member.
While you may not have the opportunity to reunite with your loved one physically, visiting their grave or memorial allows you to briefly feel their presence.Ray Olson experienced the devastating loss of his son, Raymond, in a tragic car accident in 2003 on a road in Richmond, California. The 22-year-old lost his life to a drunk driver.The land where Raymond’s life was tragically cut short belonged to the multi-billion dollar company Chevron. Ray was convinced that the company would never allow him to establish an official memorial there, so he didn’t even make the request.Instead, he secretly created a memorial at the site and visited it every night. Then, one day, Ray received a surprising message from the company: the area was slated for redevelopment.For years, a piece of land in Richmond, California, owned by the energy giant Chevron, held a mysterious roadside memorial. No one knew who had set it up and maintained it, according to reports from NBC News.»We’d notice that it was well-kept, but we never knew who was tending to it,» revealed Chevron executive Joe Lorenz.As it turned out, the caretaker of the memorial was none other than Ray Olson. For over 12 years, he had been visiting the site nightly to pay tribute to his son, who had tragically lost his life in a car accident at that very location.Then, in 2016, Ray’s heartache deepened when he learned of the impending redevelopment of the area. Chevron stated that the property required upgrades and left a note at the memorial, encouraging the anonymous caretaker to reach out to the energy giant.Ray Olson finally made the decision to reveal his identity. He was convinced that Chevron would dismantle his memorial, erasing the precious memories associated with it.»I just knew they were going to take it down,» Olson admitted.However, he could never have anticipated that the company would replace it with a new memorial. To his surprise, Chevron installed a plaque honoring Ray’s son and placed a bench next to it for visitors, including Ray, to find solace.»We told him, ‘This is your spot, Ray. You no longer need to visit at night,'» shared Joe Lorenz from Chevron in an interview with NBC News.
