Family partners with local daycare in memory of Conor Nashold

EASTON, Md. – People gathered at the Talbot Rod and Gun Club on Sunday to remember 3-year-old Conor Nashold who died in a tragic accident back in 2017.

“The water was so cold and he got in the pool himself, and it was an accident,” said Nashold’s grandfather, Rennie Gay.

“He jumped in the pool and it was so cold they say his lungs filled up immediately and he was away from here,” said Gay.

Gay said his grandson was just starting to get a taste of life. That is why he decided to partner up with the Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers to help ramp up fundraising efforts to support free swimming lessons put on by the daycare.

It is a place he said his sweet boy grew up visiting.

“He was out of diapers and he could go with me,” said Gay.

“We were doing a lot of things together starting too and then when it happened it just took a lot of people down, and so we decided that we didn’t want anyone else in Talbot County to go through this,” Gay.

The Executive Director of the non profit children’s center Cristy Morrell said there simply is not enough money to go around so she hopes this partnership will help bring change.

“There are free swim lessons, but for us we have to pay teachers to get them there, we have pay for transportation,” said Morrell, “There’s just so many costs that surround summer camp programming.”

People like the executive director said it is these swimming lessons that can make the difference between life and death.

“You want to make sure that they have the ability to swim because it’s so quick and tragic,” said Morrell.

“The result is tragic, and there’s no do over,” said Morrell.

Rennie Gay said even though his grandson is no longer here he knows he has a community that will always be there to lend a helping hand and to keep Conor’s memory alive.

Sunday’s fundraiser at the Talbot Rod and Gun Club helped raise over 10,000 dollars for the Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers.