I never thought I’d be standing behind a cash register in my late 80s. I was Ed Bambas, an 88-year-old Army veteran, and I was supposed to be retired. For 40 years, I proudly worked for General Motors, building cars and the American dream. I retired back in 1999, feeling comfortable. I had a stable financial footing, I owned my house, and we didn’t have any major worries.
But life takes unexpected turns.
In 2012, disaster struck. GM’s bankruptcy wiped out my pension, upending decades of hard work. The heartbreak deepened when my beloved wife of more than 50 years, Joan, became gravely ill. I was her primary caregiver, watching helplessly as medical bills drained our life savings, especially after she lost her healthcare coverage. I tried to keep us afloat, selling our home and other properties. It kept us going—for a while.
Tragedy struck again seven years ago when Joan passed away. I was left with a crushing weight of grief and unpaid bills. “Once my wife died, I didn’t have enough income to pay for this place or all the other bills I had accumulated because of my wife’s illness,” I explained.
So, at 88 years old, in 2019, the retired Army veteran in me went back to work—first at Ace Hardware, then as a cashier at Meijer in Brighton, Michigan. I solemnly told anyone who asked, “You do what you have to do.”
“It wasn’t hard for me to do it because I knew I had to do it,” I said of my decision to return to work. “I’m fortunate God gave me a good enough body to be strong enough to stand there for eight, eight and a half hours a day.”
Behind my ever-present smile, there was deep sorrow. “I made it a point to try and be as friendly with people as I could. ‘Cause that would take my mind off any depression because of my wife’s death,” I shared. I really, to this day, miss her. I still visit her grave every day.
Then came late December 2025, and my life took a turn I never could have predicted.
A social media influencer from Australia, Samuel Weidenhofer, walked into my store. He had flown across the globe just to find me, all because of a comment on one of his TikTok videos. “No 88-year-old in America should work because they need to, and that breaks my heart,” Samuel later said. He connected with another local influencer, and together they searched through Meijer for two hours for a “friendly, jolly older man.” When they found me at the checkout, they knew immediately.
On camera, Samuel told me someone had nominated me as a hard worker. “Well, I try to be,” I humbly replied. The influencer told me he wanted to help me retire. When he asked about my dream, I quietly said: “[To] live a little, of somewhat the life I was hoping for.”
A video of me at work went viral, racking up nearly four million views on TikTok. Me? I hadn’t seen it, since I don’t even own a smartphone. “I’ve never been on those programs (TikTok and Instagram). I don’t own one of those fancy cellphones. In fact, I still have a flip phone just to talk to people,” I admitted.
As for the whirlwind attention? “It came out of the clear blue—I really truly mean that,” I said. Samuel gave me a $400 tip right on the spot, which brought me to tears. But that was just the beginning.
He launched a GoFundMe fundraiser with a staggering $1 million goal to help me finally retire. The campaign stated, “Despite everything, Ed shows up every day with quiet dignity, strength, and perseverance. His story is a stark reminder that too many of our seniors, especially veterans, face incredible challenges just to survive.”
The public responded with overwhelming generosity. The campaign quickly raised more than $1.7 million! Samuel was stunned. “To see how much? It’s record breaking.”
When asked what I’ve learned, I didn’t speak about money or fame. My lesson was heartbreakingly simple: “Be polite to people.” And then, I added something that truly touches my heart: “I just try to be myself, with one exception. I think my wife sits on my shoulder and helps me do the right thing.”
As for what keeps me going? “I try very hard to go to her gravesite every day and say ‘hi’… It helps me get through my day—it really does,” I shared.
Now, with the support of strangers, I can finally look forward to a well-earned rest.
