88-Year-Old Veteran Forced Back To Work Gets The Surprise Of A Lifetime

December 4, 2025

At 88 years old, Ed Bambas should be enjoying a peaceful retirement. Instead, the U.S. Army veteran is still working full-time as a cashier at a Meijer supermarket in Brighton, Michigan.

But now, thanks to a chance encounter, the world is stepping in to help change that.

Samuel Weidenhofer

Bambas originally retired more than a decade ago after working for General Motors. But in 2012, when the company went bankrupt, his pension disappeared. Around the same time, his wife’s health began to fail. Without his pension or health care coverage, Bambas was forced to spend nearly all of his life savings on her medical care.

After being married for more than 50 years, he lost his wife in 2018 — and soon after, he had no choice but to return to work. He first found a job at Ace Hardware before eventually landing at the grocery store, where he still works five days a week, eight hours a day.

His story recently caught the attention of Samuel Weidenhofer, who is known for sharing uplifting, generosity-driven videos on social media. After one of his followers mentioned Bambas in a comment, Weidenhofer flew to Michigan to meet him in person. During the visit, Bambas shared the heartbreaking reality of losing his pension, his health coverage, and nearly all of his savings while caring for his sick wife.

While filming at the store, Weidenhofer surprised Bambas with a $400 tip and promised to help share his story on social media.

That promise turned into something extraordinary.

The video quickly went viral, reaching more than 4 million views in less than 48 hours. A GoFundMe was launched shortly after to help Bambas finally retire for good — and within days, donations surged past $1.5 million.

On the fundraiser page, Weidenhofer described Bambas as “a man of quiet dignity, strength, and perseverance,” adding that every dollar raised will go toward helping with living expenses, medical care, and comforts that allow him to enjoy his later years without constant financial stress. He also highlighted the deeper meaning behind the effort, writing that too many seniors — especially veterans — face overwhelming challenges just to survive.

When he retires, Bambas says he hopes to spend his time with the people he loves most, including his two children.