Granger Smith and Family Have Moved Out of Their House After Son’s Tragic Death
Granger Smith turned once again to YouTube to explain to fans why he and his family picked up and moved after the tragic death of his three-year-old son, River.
Smith posted a new video to his family's The Smiths YouTube channel to address his fans directly, saying that several fans have commented that in recent videos, his family appears to be in a new house. He says that while he and his wife, Amber, both loved their former home and had believed they would stay there a long time, after River died in a drowning accident in their pool at the property, it changed the way they felt.
"There was thousands of good memories, and one really bad one," Smith reflects. It was hard for them to leave because River had loved the woods and the land where he'd been raised, but Smith says, "My number one priority is the well-being of the other two kids. And I don't think I was totally myself at the old house. Amber probably wasn't, either."
The family prayed about it, and in the end, "I felt very compelled to make this move," Smith shares.
They were able to sell quickly to a family that he feels really good about, and they're hopeful their new place, which is still in the country, will still provide some continuity for their kids.
Smith also included some video of the family packing up and moving, sharing some reflections on the music and memories that he'd made in that house. Amber Smith turns up later in the video, confessing that she's been in "survival mode" but now that they were actually packing to leave, all of her emotions were hitting her.
The clip ends with some older footage of good times they had with River and their other kids in their old house, in keeping with their goal of celebrating River's life and legacy while trying to serve as an example to others of how to move forward with grace in difficult times. The couple's daughter, London, started second grade earlier in the week, while their son Lincoln entered kindergarten.
The Smiths are celebrating River's legacy by raising money in his name via sales of a tribute T-shirt. They presented a check for $218,791 to Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin in June. The couple appreciated the compassion and care they were shown while River received treatment there after his accident.
The tribute T-shirts are sold out at the moment, but a new one is in the works for fall to raise more money in his memory. Until then, donate directly to Dell Children's here.
PICS: Granger Smith, Wife Amber Give Big Check to Dell Children's: