88-Year-Old Veteran Working at Michigan Meijer Captures Hearts Nationwide

A veteran working at the Meijer in Brighton has captured the hearts of not only Michigan residents but people from all over the country.

Eighty-eight-year-old Ed Bambas now works full-time as a cashier at Meijer after having been retired for more than 10 years.

Mr. Bambas retired from General Motors in 1999, but when the company went bankrupt, he lost his pension and had no choice but to return to work to cover his bills.

Fast forward to 2025. Samuel Weidenhofer, a social media influencer from Australia, heard about Ed's situation and approached him at the Meijer in Brighton with a fellow Michigan influencer.

Watch the awesome interaction in the video below.

I am not crying, you're crying. WXYZ Detroit was able to catch up with Ed Bambas after his story went viral, and you can watch the full video here.

Samuel Weidenhofer set up a GoFundMe, and to date, over $1 million has been donated. What follows was posted yesterday on the donation page,

Ed will be added to receive the funds once we surprise him in four or five days . We are working tirelessly to make sure we set up a secure bank account or trust for him so the money is very safe and he can flourish in the best way possible.

This is why there is no current beneficiary, but I also don’t have any bank details added. Meaning it will just sit in the GoFundMe till it’s ready to transfer (once the beneficiary is added) thank you!

If you are interested in donating, you can find the official GoFundMe page here.

This just may be the best story of 2025. Enjoy your retirement Mr. Bambas.