Alby Davis’ heartbroken parents said goodbye to their ‘little golden boy’ today in a poignant memorial service on a white-sand beach with gentle, lapping waves.
Three-year-old Alby died last Monday in his pregnant mother’s arms after choking on a bouncy ball at home in Wynyard, Tasmania, just a week before his fourth birthday.
Today, parents Simon and Anna Davis joined dozens of family and friends under serene blue skies in a send-off that matched the family’s nature-based lifestyle.
The pair were seen smiling, hugging and comforting their first-born child Sage as they listened to tributes.
Their brave faces transferred to other mourners who were seen smiling warmly as they remembered Alby. After the tributes, a canoeist paddled flowers out to sea and let them float off in the calm swell.
One moving image showed Mrs Davis being comforted by a friend as she starred longingly at a portrait of her first-born son, which was left on a table on the beach next to a bunch of flowers.
Moving: Alby Davis’ heartbroken parents said goodbye to their ‘little golden boy’ today in a poignant memorial service on a white-sand beach with gentle, lapping waves
Three-year-old Alby died last Monday in his pregnant mother’s arms after choking on a bouncy ball at home in Wynyard, Tasmania, just a week before his fourth birthday. Pictured: Mourners at the service
Poignant: One moving image showed Mrs Davis being comforted by a friend as she starred at a portrait of her first-born son which was left on a table on the beach
Today, parents Simon and Anna Davis joined dozens of family and friends under serene blue skies in a send off that matched the family’s nature-based lifestyle. Pictured: The parents with their first child, Sage
Anna Davis (pictured) said she was only three feet away from her son Alby when he began choking on the small toy he was gifted as an early fourth birthday present at his home in Wynyard, Tasmania
Alby was playing with a new ball he had just unwrapped as an early fourth birthday present at home on 26 February when the tragedy struck.
The ball became lodged in his windpipe and stopped him from breathing. His desperate mother Anna tried to pull out the ball, which was the size of a 50 cent piece, and started performing CPR during an ‘excruciating’ wait for paramedics – but Alby died before her eyes.
On Monday, Alby’s fourth birthday, his parents visited his corpse to place his birthday watch on his wrist and paint his nails in his favourite polish.
Mrs Davis wrote on Instagram: ‘Today, despite the fact you are no longer with us, we celebrate and honour your fourth sunshine journey.
‘Your daddy and I visited you this morning, holding your hands and stroking your hair, for what I wish could have been an eternity. We placed your much-longed for gift – a waterproof watch with a light – around your tiny little wrist, and tried not to shower you with too many tears as we painted your fingernails with your favourite gold glitter polish.’
Memories: The parents’ brave faces transferred to other mourners who were seen smiling warmly as they remembered Alby
Brave faces: Simon and Anna Davis embrace friends and family and the memorial service for their three-year-old son Alby
Alby was playing with a new ball he had just unwrapped as an early fourth birthday present at home on 26 February when the tragedy struck. Pictured: A woman pays tribute
After the tributes, a canoeist paddled flowers out to sea and let them float off in the gentle swell as mourners watched on
The ball became lodged in his windpipe and stopped him from breathing. His desperate mother Anna tried to pull out the ball, which was the size of a 50 cent piece, and started performing CPR during an ‘excruciating’ wait for paramedics – but Alby died before her eyes
A man paddles out to sea with flowers packed into a hamper on the back of his kayak as he prepared to release them into the ocean
Simon and Anna Davis embraced each other as they listened to tributes on the white-sand beach in Tasmania on Wednesday
Anna Davis wrote a tribute on Instagram which read: ‘We, along with the world, are weeping, but we take solace in the fact that all you ever knew, in your almost-four-years, was nothing but love’
Mrs Davis added: ‘We are eternally grateful for the abundant light you bought to our lives and now know that your purpose was so much higher than any of us ever anticipated.’ Pictured: A kayaker takes flowers out to sea at the service
‘Time spent with you is never enough and leaving without you by our side, summons the most unbearable pain we’ve ever had to endure.
‘Our arms are yearning for the thousands of cuddles yet to be given, our ears are longing for your laughter to once again resound through the walls of our home, and our hearts are shattered for the millions of memories we’ll never have the chance to create.
‘We, along with the world, are weeping, but we take solace in the fact that all you ever knew, in your almost-four-years, was nothing but love. We are eternally grateful for the abundant light you bought to our lives and now know that your purpose was so much higher than any of us ever anticipated.
Happy birthday sweetheart. We miss you endlessly ♥️’
The mother of Alby Davis (pictured) – who choked to death on a bouncy ball – has revealed she painstakingly tried to resuscitate her child for 16 minutes until paramedics arrived
Alby (pictured with Anna) could not be revived and he died before her eyes on Monday – just days before his fourth birthday
The devastated mother took to Instagram on Saturday to reveal the heartbreaking details surrounding Alby’s death and explain how ‘incorrect assumptions’ about the tragedy are hurting the grieving family further.
‘The heartache we are already experiencing is indescribable,’ she wrote.
‘To very briefly clarify some of the most widely spread misconceptions – yes, I tried to save our beautiful boy (including, but not only, undertaking CPR for 16 excruciating minutes until paramedics arrived).
‘I was three feet away from Alby when the incident occurred and was by his side within seconds.’
She explained how the ball – which features the smiling face of a character from animated children’s program PJ Masks – was larger than the 50 cent piece recommendation for young children’s toys.
Mrs Davis also said her son exceeded the ball’s choking hazard warning by almost an entire year.
The devastated mother took to Instagram on Saturday to reveal the heartbreaking details and explain how ‘incorrect assumptions’ about the tragedy are hurting the grieving family further
The ball – which features the smiling face of a character from animated children’s program PJ Masks – was larger than the 50 cent piece recommendation for young children’s toys (pictured is the same type of ball supplied to Daily Mail Australia)
A picture of the same type of ball was supplied by Mrs Davis to Daily Mail Australia on Friday, revealing how it fits inside the palm of her hand
The ball came in a six pack of assorted colours, which can be found at department store BIG W and various party supplies stores for less than AUD$15
A picture of the same type of ball was supplied by Mrs Davis to Daily Mail Australia on Friday, revealing how it fits inside the palm of her hand.
The ball came in a six pack of assorted colours, which can be found at department store BIG W and various party supplies stores for less than AUD$15.
The front of the packet features a choking hazard and warns the toy is a ‘small ball not suited for children under three years’.
Alby died after choking on the ball just 40 minutes after telling his mother ‘I can’t wait to go to bed’.
Mrs Davis posted a picture on Instagram on Thursday night of Alby in bed with his new birthday bed linen and captioned it with her ‘golden boy’s’ last words.
She wrote: ”’I can’t wait to go to bed tonight Mum!” ‘Our precious boy, with his brand new doona cover, 2.49pm on Monday afternoon… exactly 40 minutes before he took his final earthside breath in my arms.’
Alby (pictured) died after choking on the ball just 40 minutes before telling his mother ‘I can’t wait to go to bed’
Speaking to Daily Mail Australia on Friday morning, she said the family were very grateful for the ‘love and gratitude’ they have received ‘as we fathom the loss of our golden boy’.
Earlier, Mrs Davis, who runs a small children’s toys business called The Small Folk, posted a tribute to her son on her company Instagram account which features dozens of photos of her family and their nature-based lifestyle.
She wrote: ‘Yesterday afternoon, our beautiful, beautiful Alby, our darling baby boy, grew wings and flew from this earth.
‘Minutes pass like hours and the gaping hole in our lives and hearts is completely incomprehensible. We adore you beyond belief, our sweet little fox. Forever three, forever free.’
Mrs Davis, who runs a small children’s toys business called The Small Folk, posted a tribute to her son (pictured) on her company Instagram account which features dozens of photos of her family and their nature-based lifestyle
The tribute read: ‘Yesterday afternoon, our beautiful, beautiful Alby, our darling baby boy, grew wings and flew from this earth’
The heartfelt post received more than 45,000 likes and 10,000 sympathetic comments.
A family friend has now set up a Gofundme page to raise money for Mrs Davis and her relief-teacher husband Simon to help them look after their daughter Sage and son Acre as they expect their fourth child.
It has already raised more than $259,000, eclipsing the $100,000 goal.
The page reads: ‘On Monday afternoon, the unimaginable for any parent occurred.
‘Darling Alby was playing with a bouncy ball that had arrived earlier that morning, in a package filled with party favours for his upcoming 4th birthday celebrations.
‘The ball became stuck in his windpipe, preventing his ability to breathe, and in a matter of seconds, despite his mama’s frantic attempts to save him, he passed away in her arms.
A neighbour said: ‘There has been an outpouring of people, food and kindness. What has happened is unfathomable.’ A friend added: ‘They are a really beautiful and humble family, and people are sharing their grief.’
The tribute continued: ‘Minutes pass like hours and the gaping hole in our lives and hearts is completely incomprehensible. We adore you beyond belief, our sweet little fox. Forever three, forever free.’
A family friend has now set up a Gofundme page to raise money for Mrs Davis and her relief teacher husband Simon to help them look after their daughter Sage and son Acre as they expect their fourth child
‘This beautiful family need time to mourn and surround each other in love, without having the financial burdens of daily life and work commitments weighing on their minds.
‘As Simon is a relief teacher, he is not entitled to any leave, and as so many of you know, Anna is self-employed with her much-loved business, The Small Folk.’
A neighbour told The Mercury: ‘There has been an outpouring of people, food and kindness. What has happened is unfathomable.’
A friend added: ‘They are a really beautiful and humble family, and people are sharing their grief.’
Mrs Davis’ heartfelt tribute post received 45,000 likes and 10,000 sympathetic comments after she broke news of her son’s death