Utah Mechanic Buys, Fixes Car for High School Custodian Walking to Work (Video)

by Aaron Cole

Updated: December 29th, 2020 Published: November 25th, 2015

utah mechanic buys fixes car for high school custodian walking to work video

I swear someone was cutting onions right next to me just now.

A Utah high school custodian, whose broken-down car left him commuting two hours each way to work, was surprised by a mechanic who purchased and fixed a car for him with money collected from crowd funding.

Sean Merrill, who owns Nobori Auto near Salt Lake City, along with his wife, picked up Robert Ford last month when he was walking home late one night. Ford told the couple about his hardship and his commute, and Merrill said he was compelled to help.

“I think it’s important to take a step back and think about others and think about that they are a person just like you,” Merrill told KSL in Salt Lake City. “They go through the same struggles, maybe different experiences, but everyone needs help now and again.”

Merrill tracked down Ford after looking for him near the intersection where he met him and found his home.

“Robert has been in my thoughts in the days to follow that experience. This man is really trying to get back on his feet after life has thrown him some curveballs,” Merrill wrote.

On Nov. 22, Merrill surprised Ford at his home with the 1997 Nissan Maxima that he had purchased at auction and fixed. Merrill passed the car through emissions and safety.

On the GoFundMe page set up to buy Ford’s car, the Merrills said that money raised over the purchase price for the car will go to pay for Ford’s first year of insurance.

Photo courtesy Kathy Ford

About a month ago, this wonderful couple saw Robert walking home from work. They stopped and gave him a ride and In their words; “We couldn’t get him off our minds.” They set up a go-fund-me account and collected enough to “find Robert a ride” Sean Merrill is a mechanic, so he got to work and made sure Robert was taken care of. Here’s the wonderful outcome. Thanks to Sean and Darilyn Merrill, for their Christ-like charity!https://www.gofundme.com/bx6tp3da

Posted by Kathy Ford on Saturday, 21 November 2015

#Charity #Gofundme #Mechanic #TheFeels #Utah

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Jeff S on Nov 26, 2015

Wonderful story. This story reminds us of the true meaning of the holiday season.

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JohnTaurus on Nov 27, 2015

Ive loaned cars to friends, family members, and neighbors many times, and even to my boss one time (for like 3 months lol). I have also given a car to a friend that needed it, but it would make that Maxima seem like showroom condition compartively. I didnt buy the car for him, but it just ended up that I had bigger fish to fry and was in it for nearly nothing, so thats how it came about. I only bought it because I had a matching parts car lol. He ended up giving it back to me (several months later) after he overheated it horribly one night on the freeway and the oil light came on afterwards, so I gave it to my scrap guy just to get rid of it (very VERY beat up early 90s Mercury Sable with more miles than the space shuttle). We actually tried to pop its airbag by ramming the parts car, but with a lot less than all 6 firing, it simply couldnt go fast enough in the short space alloted to hit it hard enough to trigger it (neither car's bumper cracked!!), and it stalled after the first attempt (maybe out of fuel, tank was dry), so I gave up, got my battery out and called dude to come get em.

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