After an elderly woman took her car into a shop for a minor repair, she received the unfortunate news that she needed all new tires. When the 92-year-old informed the mechanic that she wouldn’t be getting the tires changed, she had no idea a state trooper was listening to her conversation.
Mary Summers, a 92-year-old Texas woman, had the misfortune of picking up a nail in one of her tires. Needing the tire repaired, she paid a visit to Integrity Tires in Richmond, Texas, where she was given even more bad news. Repairing the punctured tire wasn’t an option. It needed to be replaced — and so did the other three tires on her car.
According to Omar Oregueda, the mechanic assisting Mary, all four tires on her vehicle were in irreparable shape, making the car unsafe to drive, KHOU reported. Making matters worse, this wasn’t going to be a cheap fix. New tires for Mary’s vehicle were going to set her back at least $600. This wasn’t what Mary wanted to hear.
Omar was the unlucky mechanic who was forced to give the elderly woman the bad news. “The tire on her vehicle wasn’t repairable, and the other tires were shot,” Omar explained. “They were already completely destroyed.” Of course, this didn’t make Mary too happy.
Knowing there was no way she could afford four new tires, Mary insisted that Omar give her the price for only the one that had picked up the nail. Little did Mary know, though, a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper was sitting behind her and heard the entire fretful conversation between the elderly woman and the mechanic.
The trooper knew he couldn’t let Mary drive off in a car that was unsafe and posed a danger not just to her but to the public. So, he decided it was time to take matters into his own hands. After walking up to the counter, the trooper soon left. Shortly after, Omar returned to talk to Mary.
Much to Mary’s surprise, the mechanic told her she would be getting four new tires that day — and they would all be replaced at no cost to her. “He said, ‘They’re paid for and everything.’ And, I said, ‘Who paid for it?’ And, he said, ‘The trooper that was in here,’” she recalled. “And, I can hardly talk about it now because I want to cry because he did that. And, he did it, and he left.”
Mary’s newfound good fortune didn’t end there. Apparently, the trooper’s kindness was contagious, inspiring Omar Oregueda to do something nice for Mary Summers as well. He gave her an oil change for free. “For a stranger to take care of another stranger like that … let’s all just take care of each other,” Omar said. “That’s what it’s about.”
KHOU was able to track down the officer responsible for the good deed and give Mary one last surprise. She had wanted to properly thank the man who helped her, but she never got the chance since he paid quietly and quickly left. The news station, however, was able to rectify this one regret, reuniting Mary Summers with Texas DPS Trooper Drew Stoner — the man who selflessly paid for her tires.
To Mary Summers, who was down on her luck and unable to afford new tires, the Texas state trooper was a hero, but Trooper Stoner said he didn’t help Mary to be celebrated for the gesture. Instead, he just wanted to know she’d be safe. “I’m thinking, ‘What if she goes out on the road, and a tire goes out on her, kind of falls apart on her, and she’s on the side of the road?’” he explained.
Mary, of course, was forever thankful for the trooper’s show of goodwill. “I’m just so thankful for you,” she told Trooper Stoner during a tearful reunion, “I’m so proud. I’m proud to meet someone that has a heart that big. I just love you to death.” We couldn’t agree more. Kudos to Trooper Stoner for showing incredible kindness. We need more officers just like him in our communities.