For the eleventh consecutive year, a Wisconsin pool service company gifted two military families with free holiday lights.

Swimming Pool Services, a Milwaukie-area pool company, prides itself on “serving those who serve us.”

Every year, the company spends part of their off-season putting up holiday lights, and they install lights for two deserving military families each year.

Amy Lubbert Sauer’s family was one of them. Sauer served in the National Guard and was a combat medic in Iraq. At 44 years of age, she was diagnosed with leukemia and she died early in 2023, less than a month later. Her sister-in-law, Kaiti Lubbert, said it happened in the blink of an eye.

“Everything just changed. Like, life as you know it,' Lubbert said. 'It was right after Christmas. We thought we had more time.'

Photo credit: Spectrum News 1 It was Lubbert who nominated Sauer’s family.

'I sent in the nomination because I was thinking there’s not a more deserving family than Mitch and the kids,' she said.

Justin Lex, the Operations Manager for Swimming Pool Services, was part of the crew who strung up red, white, and blue lights outside the Sauer home.

'We’re very lucky to be in this country, that we have a military that serves us,' said Lex.

U.S. Army Veteran Jessica Michaud served as a medic for 10 years. A single mom, Michaud won the holiday gift after being nominated by a friend. All December, her house was lit up red, white, and blue to show the true colors of the veteran living in the home. She said she’d never be able to decorate her house like this herself.

“It’s incredible,” Michaud said. “We will never forget this.”