Christmas miracle as memorial plaque, bench restored in Kincardine

Richard and Jacqui Hillerby of Kincardine feel as if they have experienced a Christmas miracle after the bench in memory of their son, Jacob, was vandalized and then quickly restored this week.

The bench, located in Helliwell Park, Kincardine, has a memorial plaque on it that states, “Jacob Hillerby, 2016-2017.” The plaque was destroyed along with part of the bench.

Jacqui Hillerby went to Facebook, stating to whoever vandalized the plaque, “I forgive you. I have done thoughtless things in my life too.

“I want you to see who it is we remember with that bench. This is Jacob (Jake) Hillerby. He loved the swings at Helliwell Park. I pushed him on the swings, beside his twin sister, on the way to and from walks and picnics on the trails. He died of meningitis a day before his first birthday.

“It’s still hard going back to that playground, but whenever we are there, I point out the bench and plaque to the other people playing there. People who never even met Jake have told me they thought of him as they sat on this bench. It means a lot to us.”

She said she was arranging to have the plaque replaced when to her surprise, the parks department got the job done in less than a day.

“I can’t thank the people of Kincardine enough for the out-pouring of love and support after my deceased son’s memorial plaque was broken,” Jacqui said on Facebook.

“While we got countless messages of support and offers to pay for a new sign, the parks department somehow replaced it in less than a day, right before Christmas, free of charge. I never expected this and I still cannot believe that the parks staff managed that while finishing up all their other work before the holidays.

“The damage that one person did is so out-weighed by the love and caring shown by our whole community. Thank you, Kincardine.”

Jacqui said this was a true Christmas miracle. “This was a community of people, feeling common humanity and working together to make a miracle happen.” 

She said a lot of people said they were inspired by her forgiving the person who vandalized the plaque.

“I know that anyone who truly understood what it was like to lose a child could not have done it,” she said. “So, the person obviously didn’t understand. Lack of understanding is easy to forgive. It’s a pandemic at Christmas. Both those things make hard times harder. I could understand frustration and the need to destroy something without thinking too hard. I just wrote the message because I wanted the person to understand better for next time."

The Hillerby family continues to raise money for the Jacob Hillerby Memorial Bursary, given out by Renison College at the University of Waterloo. Each year, engineering students who have financial need can apply for the bursary by explaining how they will use their degree to make the world a better place.

To donate, visit the website at: waterloo-sec.imodules.com/s/1802/17/giving-form.aspx?sid=1802&gid=2&pgid=1047&cid=2504