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A retired man with modest savings who secretly paid for strangers' medications.
About 10-years-ago, Hody Childress of the tiny Alabama town of Geraldine, made a special trip to Geraldine Drugs.
He asked the owner, Brooke Walker if she had patients unable to pay for their medications. "I told him, 'Yes, unfortunately that happens often," Brooke told The Washington Post.
"And he handed me a $100-bill, all folded up." Hody asked her to use the money for anyone who couldn't pay for their prescriptions.
"He said, 'Don't tell a soul where the money came from - if they ask, just tell them it's a blessing from the Lord," Brooke recalled.
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A month later, Hody handed Brooke another folded-up $100-bill, and he returned the first of each month to do it again.
For 10-years he did this, until late last year when he no longer had the strength due to his chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
On New Year's Day, 80-year-old Hody passed away.
Brooke decided to reveal Hody's secret to his family, and learned near the end of his life, he had told his daughter Tania Nix.
Hody Childress and Tania Nix Photo: al.com
Tania made a public announcement at her dad's January 5th funeral.
Although her dad lived on pensions and Social Security, and farmed to supplement his income, she said he always helped those in need. "It was just who he was - it was in his heart."
To honor Hody's kindness people in Geraldine are now making donations of their own.
"We're calling it the Hody Childress Fund," said Brooke, "And we're going to keep it going as long as the community and Hody's family wants to keep it alive."
Editor's Note:
To learn more washingtonpost.com,
abc7chicago.com/ and
facebook.com/geraldinedrugs/,
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