For Gina and Paul Wilson, July 29, 2022, started out like any other day, but it would end in a tragic, life-changing way. Their son Neo passed away on a local lake after suffering a cardiac event related to a rare undetected heart condition. Neo, their only child, had a particularly close bond with his parents. Every November, he hunted with his mother, trekking miles through the woods near their Skandia home to “their special hunting spot.”

With his father, he enjoyed a deep fascination with trains. “I’ve been wanting to build my own railway my whole life, but I just thought it was too far-fetched,” Paul says. “Once I knew that Neo loved trains too, we talked about it, and we decided to build a railway. He wanted to take the farm over one day, so it made sense to create the railway on the property as it had been in our tamily since the 1800s. We were doing it for him. Even though it was originally my dream, it also became his.”

Right before making the first purchase for the railway, Paul told him,

“Listen, making this railway is going to be a lot of work. It’s going to be miserable. It might take us years to build.’ I made it sound terrible. Neo stopped and looked at me like I was crazy and said, ‘No. I really want to do this.’ So, I knew he was vested in building the railway.

I had no doubt that this is what he wanted to do.”

The Wilson family began to strategically cut firewood from where the planned railway grade would be, while using the wood for heating their home. Then they started to look for the railway and equipment. Their first purchase was an 1896 Porter steam locomotive from a private railroad collection in Washington state, requiring a 4,000-mile roundtrip journey with a flatbed semi-truck trailer to get it home. Shortly after, they purchased another railroad collection, and 15 semi loads of railway equipment were hauled in to begin construction. They were off to making a great start on their shared project, but then tragedy struck with the unexpected passing of Neo.

To deal with his sorrow, Paul threw himself into finishing the railway. “I would come out early in the morning because I was a wreck. Friends and family would show up at nine o’clock.

Gina and I would work all day. We didn’t want anyone to feel bad about leaving, so as soon as we could see their taillights go out of the driveway, we would turn around and go back out to work until dark,” he said. Working tirelessly, they finished the Neo Wilson Memorial Railway in just nine days. “We wanted to be able to take Neo for a train ride, so we had to get it done before we buried him.” Neo is buried in front of the railway, next to his paternal grandparents.

The Wilsons chose to not be destroyed by grief, largely in tribute to who Neo was. “Above all, Neo loved life, loved people, and looked beyond himself, always making sure everyone was taken care of,” Gina says. “Neo was an old soul at 16. He wasn’t your normal average teenager. He always said you need to talk to people because you never know what they are going through.”

Paul continues, “I looked at Gina and I said, ‘You know, we have to use this railroad to do good things for the community. We can’t put a smile on our boy’s face anymore, so let’s put a smile on other people’s faces.'”

They began by using the railroad to promote the local “Toys for Tots” effort. If someone came out with a gift for Toys for Tots, they received a free train ride. Hundreds of people showed up for the inaugural event, resulting in a large trailer of Christmas gifts for local needy children.

Next, they sponsored a “Polar Express” holiday event for local families and children involved in the foster care program. Train rides, cookies and hot chocolate, a campfire, and even an appearance by Santa and Mrs. Claus brought joy to all involved.

They have also sponsored two train ride events for parents who have lost children. Parents that attended enjoyed train rides, a campfire, hayrides, and a general feeling of acceptance for what they were going through. “Many people commented that they felt better leaving here than they did from any therapy,” Gina says. The Wilsons’ plan is to expand on these support events to help others through the difficult journey of grieving.