Family Hopes To Find 'Angel' Who Helped 89-Year-Old Grandma At Grocery Store

September 6, 2022

A kind stranger paid an elderly woman's $100 grocery bill after her only credit card declined while in the checkout line.

stranger pays elderly woman grocery bill
Marilyn Oettinger / CBS News

Last week, 89-year-old Marilyn Oettinger was shopping for groceries at the Star Market in Newton, Massachusetts — a rare unassisted trip since losing her husband a few months ago.

Things were going fine until the checkout line, when Marilyn discovered her only credit card had been canceled two days earlier because the account was in her late husband's name.

"And this amazing person behind her said 'Don't worry. I'll take care of your groceries'," Marylin's daughter Margie told CBS News.

acts of kindness good news
The Oettinger family / CBS News

The bill certainly wasn't meager -- it was $109.

"She tried to get his name," added Margie, "but he said 'No. Just say a prayer for me'."

The Oettinger family is pledging to pay it forward with similar kindness on future trips to the supermarket. But they're also trying to find the Good Samaritan.

"We're trying to find him. And even if he doesn't want to come forward, we're hoping that he'll know that we're incredibly grateful," Margie said.

"It's amazing to have an angel like that."


Click Here For The Most Popular On Sunny Skyz

feel good videoThese Cat Reactions To Owners Calling Them Through Security Cameras Are Absolutely Hilarious

feel good storiesAnniversary Gift Goes Hilariously Wrong — Or Maybe Perfectly Right

feel good storiesKentucky Nurse Saves Drunk Raccoon With CPR After Dumpster Mishap

feel good storiesFirefighters And Public Works Team Crawl Quarter Mile To Rescue Blind And Deaf Dog

feel good storiesShoulder Labrum Tear Symptoms And The Causes Behind Them

feel good storiesThe Mechanical Nurse At Guy’s Hospital Is Equal Parts Creepy And Brilliant

feel good videoThese Cat Reactions To Owners Calling Them Through Security Cameras Are Absolutely Hilarious

feel good videoEpic ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ Flashmob Takes Over the Streets of Paris

feel good videoJamie Lee Curtis Can’t Stop Laughing Over The Only Autograph She Ever Asked For

feel good videoTiny Bear Cub Rescued In The Mountains Of Transylvania

feel good videoTexas Cheerleaders Perform Emotional 9/11 Tribute That Brings Crowd To Tears

Chris Filippou 12:17 PM (3 minutes ago) to me