By In the small town of Geraldine, Alabama, residents had a guardian angel, and they didn’t know until recently. In the town of 900 or so, everyone knows each other by name. And one name they’re not going to forget for a long time is Hody Childress. What they learned at his funeral shocked them.
Life was a challenge for Hody Childress, a mild-mannered man who lived for his family. He served in the Air Force and worked many jobs, from being a farmer to working for Lockheed Martin. He lost a son in 1973. He carried his wife into the stands at Friday night football games because Peggy had Multiple Sclerosis — he lost her in 1999, WVTM writes.
Brooke Walker wears many hats at Geraldine Drugs. Brooke is the owner, the manager and the pharmacist at the store on Richey Street. A stone’s throw from Jack’s restaurant, Brooke tries her best to ensure that her customers get their meds. Brooke knows that many of the folks in Geraldine often fall short of being able to afford them.
It was 2012, and Hody Childress made his way to Geraldine Drugs — it was and is a meeting place for residents, warm and friendly. Hody walked back to the pharmacy and told Brooke, “Here, this $100 is for anyone who can’t afford their prescription.” “Do not tell a soul that the money came from me,” said Hody. “Tell them it’s a blessing from God.”
It was a month later, and Hody Childress again walked into Geraldine Drugs. “Here’s another 100-dollar bill,” Hody told Brooke. “Do not tell a soul that the money came from me,” he said. “Tell them it’s a blessing from God.” Brooke put the money in the envelope and went back to work.
Every month on the first, for years, Hody dropped $100 off at the pharmacy. No one knew except Brooke. That was until Hody started feeling unwell and asked his daughter, Tania Nix, to carry $100 to the pharmacy.
“He told me he’d been carrying a $100 bill to the pharmacist in Geraldine on the first of each month, and he didn’t want to know who she’d helped with it — he just wanted to bless people with it,” Nix told The Washington Post.
When Hody died on New Year’s Day, Heather she decided to tell his family about the donations. She thought they needed to know what an incredible man their father was and how he had helped several hundred people in their little farming town. At the same time, Tania was preparing to let everyone in on the secret at Hody’s funeral.
Tania said, “I heard from people who said they’d been going through a rough time and their prescriptions were paid for when they went to pick them up,” she said, “recalling one woman who didn’t have $600 for an EpiPen for her son.”
Brooke remembered certain instances where Hody made a real difference. She recalled when a single mother and her daughter needed medication their insurance didn’t cover. When she paid for it with Hody’s money and gave them their script with the receipt stapled to it, the pharmacist said the woman burst into tears.
She says that she was honored that Hody entrusted her to do the right thing every month.
“His kindness motivated me to be more of a compassionate person,” she said. “He was just a good old guy who wanted to bless his community, and he certainly did. He established a legacy of kindness.”
After Hody’s daughter let the cat out of the bag and told the town about their guardian angel, word “spread around town, inspiring Childress’s family, friends and other admirers to start contributing to his fund to allow it to continue,” according to The Guardian.
Heather expressed that she could not think of a better tribute to Hody Childress.
‘There are so many people in Geraldine who have lived longer because of Hody,” she claimed. “Hody was a true humble servant who will always be loved.’”
RIP Hody. Your love for your neighbor won’t be forgotten for a long time and inspires us all.
[Read More: Paying It Forward: Dad Shares Organ After Daughter Receives Lifesaving Donation]
Hallmark movie material for sure