What do a drone and a storage facility have to do with one of a family’s most cherished memories? Keep reading to find out! It all started when, after a windy day at the Valley Park, MO Facility, two iStorage team members noticed something had shifted into view on the roof of one of their units.
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Jessi Reichmuth and a co-worker were taking their daily walk around the facility to make sure everything was safe and secure when they spotted something they hadn’t noticed before on the roof of one of the units. Curious, they climbed up a ladder and got the item down. It was a drone.
Finding the Owners of the Long-Lost Drone
Upon inspection, Jessi realized the drone had a micro-SD card in it. Wondering who the drone belonged to, Jessi pieced together enough tech to access the SD card’s memory. On it, Jessi found pictures of a boy, his father, and his grandfather. Hopeful to reunite the boy with his drone, Jessi posted a picture of the grandfather and father on Facebook and asked the community for help.
Soon enough, the Valley Park community worked its magic. The boy’s mother, Traci, received a text from a friend about Jessi’s Facebook post. Shocked, she looked at the text to see a picture of her Dad (aka the boy’s grandfather) that was taken on the long-lost drone.
Turns out that the family lost the drone two years to the day prior (in 2020). Traci’s son had received it as a Christmas gift that year and wanted to show his grandparents while they were visiting. So off they went to Valley Park to fly the drone! This was a special moment for the family for one very big reason; Traci’s Dad had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Creating memories and spending time together was becoming increasingly important for the entire family, but especially for Traci’s son.
The family spent the afternoon marveling at the drone. They sent it up in loop-de-loops and along soaring paths through the sky. But, on the last run of the day, the drone suddenly sped straight up into the sky like a rocket. Refusing to respond to controls, it flew up, up, and away until the family could no longer see it at all. (Spoiler alert: the drone somehow made its way atop our iStorage facility.) Traci’s son was devastated up until he saw how happy the sight made his grandpa.
The Drone Story’s Impact on Traci’s Family
“You would have thought he had just witnessed an actual rocket launch. He not only recounted the story in detail for the rest of the day, but it has also stayed with him in the almost two years since then,” Traci said.
The grandfather – who is known among his friends and family for his storytelling – often recounts the story of the rocket drone escape. This quickly became one of his favorite stories along with many wonderful tales from his life. As his disease progresses, he is losing those stories. But according to the family, that drone story is still firmly there. Traci recently asked him about that long-disappeared drone.
“He laughed and told us about how it flew straight up and how it was one of the greatest things he had ever seen,” Traci’s said. Two years later, the drone story was one of his most cherished memories – and one that her son can still share with his grandfather.
After receiving the text from her friend about Jessi’s Facebook post, she was overwhelmed with joy to learn that her son’s drone had been discovered. And that Jessi had taken the time to find the drone’s rightful owner. The family drove out to get the drone and thank Jessi.
“What is important is the joy that drone story has brought to us amid a difficult time. And Jessi’s kindness, when she could have just chucked the cheap and rusted drone in the trash, has added another chapter to our family stories,” Traci said.
At iStorage, Your Things Matter
Whether you’re storing a drone or wanting to keep your memories safe, we want to help. Thanks to this story, you already know where to look if you need storage units in Valley Park, MO. But, we also have locations all over the country with team members just as thoughtful as Jessi. At iStorage, we offer world-class customer service as well as affordability and accessibility. Give us a call or stop by sometime soon. Until then, get out there and make some memories with your loved ones!
