PLANTATION, Fla. – Deicke Park in Plantation is very meaningful to Ali Kessler.
It’s where she brought her little boy Greyson almost every single day.
He passed away last May, and she’s made it her mission to make sure he’s remembered at his favorite place.
Monday was the first time since Greyson’s death that Kessler came back to the park.
“Seeing it for the first time since May, I got teary,” she said. “This place provided so many fun memories for me and for him.
It was 4-year-old Greyson’s favorite place to go.
Whether it was playing in the sand, pretending he was at the beach, flying kites or on the swings with his mom, the park was his happy place.
“I came here when he was a baby in a stroller, in the swing, and we were here up until May when he was four and a half,” Kessler said. “He grew up here in this park.”
Tragically, Greyson’s young life was cut short. He was killed back by his own father John Stacey in a murder suicide.
“He was just the most vibrant 4-year-old you could ever meet,” Kessler said. “He was funny and his laugh was infectious and he was smart as a whip.”
Now Kessler is making it her mission to make sure Greyson, or Gigs as she affectionally called him, is remembered at his special place.
When she would bring him to the park, they both noticed bronze memorial plaques in front of trees, and following his death, she reached out to Plantation city officials to have one designed in Greyson’s honor.
“I took it upon myself to ask about it,” Kessler said. “The city has been very helpful and kind to help get his facilitated quickly.”
The city is generously donating the tree and extending the plaque program for this one, specific request.
Greyson’s plaque will be adorned with butterflies and include an inscription that reads ‘you make me happy when skies are grey.’
“Greyson will live on here at this park and they can come play and bring their kids and remember him,” Kessler said.
The hope is that the plaque and tree will be ready in two months when Kessler wants to have a get together with close family and friends in time for the one-year anniversary of Greyson’s passing.
Kessler also has a GoFundMe page that is set up to help her financially during this difficult time. To visit the page, click here.
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