Thomas "Tom" Mims can be seen every morning at the Columbiana Piggly Wiggly bagging groceries and clearing shopping carts from the parking lot. The 86-year-old has slowed down a little over the years, but his granddaughter, Candice Lash, said he has never stopped.
"He wakes up at 3 a.m., and he likes to start his day real early," said Lash. "He gets coffee, reads his Bible and then he's out of the house by 4:30 every morning."
"He does, you know, slump over a little bit, and he shuffles his feet," Lash explained. "And he's slumping over a little bit more than he was last year. And he had some heart issues earlier this year, and all of his siblings, almost all of them have passed away from heart issues, so that really scares me."
Mims is at work before anyone else, before the store even opens. Lash said he doesn't want to be late, so he shows up early.
Mims spent his life making a hard-earned living at Schwan's Company, but was forced to stop to care for his ailing wife. For seven years, he focused on his wife's health until she ultimately passed away just after Christmas in 2017.
"He took out some loans just to pay for everything for her and for them to be able to live," Lash said. "That's the debt he's paying back now and why he hasn't been able to retire."
Mims has been working at Piggy Wiggly since. He perseveres through hot summers and frigid winters, bringing in shopping carts and greeting customers with a smile.
"It's really sad, honestly, but in a way, it's inspiring as well," Lash said of her grandfather. "You know, like just to never really give up, never stop and always have such a good work ethic. But at the same time, it's like, he shouldn't be working at this age."
So, Lash decided to go out on a limb and try to raise money for her grandfather. She set up a GoFundMe account, hoping for a Christmas miracle. Lash said she didn't say anything to Mims at first because she wasn't sure how the response would be. But after GoFundMe shared the fundraiser on its Facebook page, donations poured in. Already, more than $100,000 has been raised, enough to allow Mims to retire.
"After I told him, we talked, and he said, 'I can retire if we only get $100,000, you know?' That will be enough to pay off all his debt," Lash remembered. "And that will just help get him by, you know, until he goes to Heaven, which is like awful to think about. He's my whole world."
Lash said her grandfather has always been there for her and others.
"He has always done everything for me and I can't repay him in any way for everything he's ever done for me," Lash said. "He's just the most amazing man ever. He's always given his shirt off his back. Even if I was to come in the house and I'm mad about somebody that did something to me, he would sit you down and be like, 'Well, baby, you know …' and he would just start saying all the good aspects of that person."
"He always sees the good in people and that's who he is," she continued. "He's never talked badly about anyone ever in my whole entire life. I've never even heard him say a cuss word. He's just like, honestly, the sweetest person ever."
Lash said she is grateful that her grandfather will be able to spend time with his family without worrying about work. However, she said it is unlikely he will stop being active.
"He won't necessarily chill out because we have like 13 acres of land and he loves to cut grass and during the summertime, we have a big old garden and he tills it all up and gets on the tractor," she said. "Like he's not going to just sit in his chair and just, you know, not do anything. That's not in his blood."
Lash said she is thankful for all of the donations that are bringing a smile to her grandfather's face this Christmas.
"Since he lost his wife just a few days after Christmas, it's always a tough time for him," she said. "Now he thinks it's a dream, honestly. He's just amazed at this point, but he's very thankful."
Mims plans to give his two weeks' notice, and his last day at work will be January 13.
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