HOWARD KIRBY's HOME IN OVID, MICHIGAN
HOWARD KIRBY AT HOME
HOWARD KIRBY WITH SON AND DAUGHTER IN LAW
Posted on 01/23/2020 10:32:52 AM PST by SeekAndFind
OVID, MI — When Howard Kirby returned more than $43,000 in cash he found in a couch cushion he bought at a thrift store, the mid-Michigan man said he didn’t want attention or expect a reward.
But doing the right thing has touched others who are now helping Kirby with his needs.
The Saginaw branch of Eikenhout Building Supplies is donating the materials needed to give Kirby’s home a new roof and a local contractor has volunteered to fix it, Kirby said Wednesday, Jan. 22.
A GoFundMe page in support of Kirby has so far, raised more than $2,200 as of Wednesday afternoon.
“I don’t know how to say it, I’m blessed,” Kirby said. “I’m blessed beyond words.”
Thankful
Kirby lives in Ovid, a small city about 10 miles west of Owosso, with his eldest son Ben, daughter-in-law Diane and a menagerie of their pets: a dog and six cats. He’s almost a year into full retirement after a career in floor maintenance with Walmart.
The old set of furniture he purchased for $70 at a Habitat for Humanity Restore is spread across his basement. His cat Misty relaxes on the same cushion Diane found the cash inside, stuffed into two envelopes.
The last few years haven’t been kind to Kirby and his family. Ben lost his job, causing his family to move in. Kirby himself went through a divorce and a cousin he was very close to died suddenly from cancer this time last year, not long after he dodged a tumor of his own when he had a kidney removed.
Finding the cash inside the old couch was surreal for Diane. She could barely find words other than “Dad, money!” Both Ben and Howard thought she was talking about Monopoly money at first, she said. It could’ve done wonders for their house, but at the end of the day, it wasn’t Kirby’s money and he knew he wanted to do the right thing.
“Being a born-again Christian, Christ in me is the one that actually gave the money back,” Kirby said. “Remember the bracelets, WWJD? Well, that’s what Jesus would do.”
Since the news of what happened spread, he’s gotten an outpouring of support. On top of the free roof and GoFundMe, he’s received texts from strangers who say he’s encouraged them to do good, he said.
The family he returned the money to had donated the couch after their grandfather had died. They took him out to dinner recently, he said, and also want to do something to repay him.
“There is so much thankfulness, it boggles my mind sometimes what is happening for me,” Kirby said. “I’m just amazed by it."
Kirby said he’s trying his best not to “get a big head” over the situation, insisting all the credit belongs with Christ.
“I have had so much peace, so much joy because I did do it, that $43,000 never could buy that much joy or peace or happiness," Kirby said.
Inspired
John Conversa, the branch manager for Eikenhout Saginaw, said Eikenhout’s owners are faith-based and like to help people when it’s warranted. Hearing of Kirby’s story, they wanted to help solve his needs to reward his honesty, he said. The roof work will begin in about a week, depending on the weather, Conversa said.
“We’re not doing it so much for a PR thing, we want to promote these kind of actions that he did,” Conversa said. “There’s not very many people nowadays who are upstanding like that. It’s a good thing for our employees to see that.”
Jay Tyrrell, a resident of Ancaster, Ontario, started the GoFundMe fundraiser after being inspired by Kirby.
“It shows that there’s still good people out there," Tyrrell said. “It’s been very inspiring. I hope that his actions will have other people kind of look at their own lives and think about how they can be better members of society... can get inspired to do the right thing.”
Great story.
I’m surprised they could track down the right family.
CNN producer: “Another example of toxic masulini.... wait, he works hard to support his family yet still puts values ahead of money? Huh. Hmmm. Can we run with a patriarchy angle? No? Right, I guess not. Well shoot. Spike it. Moving on, what’s Lena Dunham been up to lately?”
Actually, what surprised me is how someone would put that much money in CASH, instead of depositing it in the bank.
Thanks for posting a story that lifted up my spirit with so much chaos going on in the world.
I lived in Mid-Michigan for some time, and yes, there are some outstanding folks there.
Yes. I can't figure out who they returned the money to.
That would not be me.
Once it hit the thrift store, it is fair game.
People need to learn to communicate to their older family members to ensure their 30s era dislike of banks doesn’t end up costing them like this.
Cheesy bastards who got the 43 large should have given him a generous reward.
And that’s what the common law is. When you buy it, it’s your lock stock and barrel. ( As has happened) If that flea market framed picture has an early copy of the
Decoration of Independence behind it, it’s yours.
RE: When she died in the late 1970’s my grandparents found around $18,000 in cash in her place.
Assuming she died in 1979, $18,000 then would be worth nearly $65,000 today !!
Good for the man finding joy in returning the cash. However, that was a fair find. He could have found the same joy in thanking Jesus or fate for the monetary windfall that was so needed.
RE: Good for the man finding joy in returning the cash. However, that was a fair find. He could have found the same joy in thanking Jesus or fate for the monetary windfall that was so needed.
He’s going to be rewarded in other ways.
His badly needed fix for the roof is going to be done for him by kindhearted souls.
Plus, there’s a GoFundMe page to reward him as well.
“As is ,
Where is.”
.
Yup.
Thank you for the post. First one I have read today...what a great way to start the day.
How many of us on this forum do something similar except with gold or silver. If you look at it that way it really isn’t so unusual.
And the people that donate their past loved one’s property to thrift stores should do a better job of searching the stuff before donating.
Obviously this guy had every right to keep it but chose a path that some of may have found difficult.
There was story a few years back where a family in Wenatchee Washington had bought a home and began remodeling it. They found a stash of silver bars worth several tens of thousands of dollars in the bricks in the fireplace. So they tracked down the all the previous owners and returned it to the family of the person, who had stashed it, but had long since died. That family had sold that property as part of the estate even though they had vested property right to it.
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