An 82-year-old Walmart employee gets to retire thanks to the kindness of strangers who made donations through a GoFundMe page.
Butch Marion had a great start in the New Year when he was handed a check for $108,000 that allowed him to officially retire.
"I feel like a new man," Marion told FOX 5 Wednesday.
"This is just unreal," Marion said.
It all began when Rory McCarty, a customer, went into Walmart in Cumberland, Maryland to buy batteries three weeks ago.
That's when he met Marion, a cashier, who checked him out. Little did Marion know that a stranger was about to change his life forever.
McCarty, an avid Tik Tok user, had just seen a video on the social media platform that a woman started a GoFundMe account for another Walmart employee so she could retire.
He was inspired to do the same for Marion, so he made a Tik Tok video the same day he bought the batteries from Marion, and it got millions of views.
"I just wanted to put something in motion and the lord did the rest," McCarty told FOX 5 two weeks ago.
It didn't take long for McCarthy to raise enough funds to see Marion retire from Walmart.
Just a few weeks after they met, Butch Marion was presented with a check for $108,000 from McCarty on his last day at Walmart.
"I love you, man," McCarty told Marion.
"I love you too," Marion said.
Marion worked almost full-time hours at Walmart. He retired a few years ago to help his ex-wife's husband before he passed away, but later had to go back to work.
Marion plans to use the money to pay some bills, to take a three-week trip to Florida to see his daughters and grandchildren he hasn’t seen in years and to enjoy his life.
"Bird out of a cage," Marion said.
Not only did McCarty help Marion retire, they also developed a friendship and spent time eating meals and riding ATVs together. McCarty says the friendship will continue.
"Just never dreamed this would happen," McCarty said, "I’m just so excited for him."
Please click the link below to see a video of Butch Marion's heartfelt story.
https://www.foxla.com/news/82-year-old-walmart-employee-retires-after-viral-tiktok-leads-to-100000-gofundme
Source: FOX 11