Californian Matthew Jackson was killed in a car crash before a woman he helped at an Oceanside grocery store could pay him back, and now she's paying it forward to honor him.
In a late November Facebook post, Jamie-Lynn Knighten explained that she was checking out at a Trader Joe's on Nov. 10 when Jackson came to her rescue. Her debit card was accidentally left at home, her credit card was declined due to a travel lock, her phone was dead, and her infant son Wyatt was crying.
"I am about to ask the young girls at the cash [register] if they can hold my purchase for me so I can go home and get my other card when the gentleman behind me quietly says 'May I?'" she explained.
"I stutter and say 'Oh, thank you. How sweet, but no thank you, you don't have to do that.' So he calmly repeats himself again. This time I look at him and he says 'I would be glad to take care of your groceries as long as you promise to do it for someone else.' and I came to realize how much it would mean to him if I humbly accepted. So I did. And this complete stranger paid over $200 for my groceries."
Before parting ways, Knighten said that she thanked him profusely, and asked his name and where he worked.
Days later, Knighten called the LA Fitness where Jackson, 28, worked. She wanted to tell his boss what a great guy he was, and offer Jackson a small gift as a thank you.
The gym manager began crying on the phone, and informed Knighten that Jackson had been killed in a car accident,
The Los Angeles Times reported. Apparently, he died less than 24 hours after paying Knighten's grocery bill.
"He was a year younger than me and engaged to be married. His boss explained to me how amazing this young man was in his every day life and that what he did for me was just who he was as a person," she wrote on Facebook.
"May you rest in peace Matthew. My thoughts and prayers are with your family. I truly hope they know how well they raised you and what impact you've had on this world."