80-Year-Old Ex-Architect Now Bags Groceries To Pay Off Debt
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An 80-year-old man from Utah began working at the grocery store in December 2020, just six months after his wife passed away from dementia.
Gary Saling, an 80-year-old man from Utah, is back working as a grocery bagger to help pay for his late wife's medical bills. People who visit Smith's Market in St. George often see him working hard. Gary first did a similar job during his high school days in California but never thought he might do it again at this age, as most of his life was spent working as an architect. Gary and his late wife, Carol, met after noticing each other at a stoplight in 1991. It turned out they used to visit the same store for years but never crossed paths. Even the store staff had wished for their union because they thought the two looked perfect match.
According to the New York Post, Saling began working at the grocery store in December 2020, just six months after his wife Carol passed away. She was suffering from two types of dementia, including a rare and fast-spreading one called Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. Despite her serious health problems, the man chose to care for her at home. He did his best, but looking after her came at a high cost. Over time, the total expenses for her care and other medical needs went up to $80,000 (approximately Rs 68 Lakh).
Gary Saling said, 'I promised myself, God, her, her brother, her son and daughter, (her stepsons), I promised them I would not put her in a nursing home. I'd keep her at home and I kept it. I paid it all, that's why I'm broke."
Saling and Carol met in a very sweet and unexpected way. One day in 1990, when she was driving near a park, she saw Gary walking nearby. They started talking while sitting on a park bench and their chat went on for over three hours. That one meeting turned into something special. Within a year, they were engaged and then got married. Both of them had children from earlier relationships, but once their kids grew up, they decided to start fresh. They moved from California to Montana and later settled in Utah.
To help clear the medical bills, Saling decided to do a job that wouldn't be mentally tiring. After spending years working as an architect, he wanted something simple. So, he chose to become a grocery bagger, a job that also let him meet people and make new friends in his community. One of the people he became friends with was Duana Johnson. After learning about his story, she started a fundraiser to support him. The response was amazing, as nearly $40,000 (approximately Rs 34 Lakh) has been collected.
Johnson said, 'It's awesome to see that because it shows there's a lot of compassion and love in our country that a lot of people are speaking against. A lot of people are saying it's not that way, but I'm seeing the opposite. Gary told me that Carol was very faithful, she loved the Lord. I just feel like her prayers for him as she was leaving this earth are being answered. She loved him so much."
Gary Saling was touched by the kindness of people. When some people called him a hero or even compared him to an angel or saint, Saling didn't agree. He said he was just doing what he had promised. From the day his wife Carol was diagnosed, he cared for her at home until her last moments.
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