Daughter Finds $43,170 Cash Inside Cushion After Dad Said It Was 'Uncomfortable'
In many cases, people who stumble across large sums of money know what they should do. If they find a wad of cash in a wallet, it’s clear they should find the owner — but the thought often crosses their mind: What if I kept it? Would anyone notice?
Howard Kirby of Owosso, Michigan, knew as soon as he stumbled across a sizable amount of cash that he couldn’t keep it. A Christian, Kirby was compelled to find the former owner of the money, even though he had no legal obligation to do so.
It all started with a couch Kirby bought from a Habitat for Humanity ReStore for his man cave. The couch was $70 according to mlive.com and it sported a brown pattern featuring wagon wheels and scenery, based on photos obtained by ABC News.
Despite his thrifty purchase, Kirby wasn’t quite comfortable with his furniture — the cushion of the matching foot rest felt weird.
When Kirby’s daughter was around he told her about it, and she opened it up to see what could be making it so uncomfortable. Apparently, a box full of cash was making the foot cushion uncomfortable.
“I still have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming or something,” he said, according to WNEM. “That’s when she started pulling out [the money].”
But it wasn’t just a few hundred dollars stashed inside the piece: The total came out to $43,170 — easily someone’s life savings.
After making the startling discovery, Kirby spoke with a lawyer who assured him that the find was rightfully his and he didn’t need to make any attempt to find a former owner. But someone else told Kirby differently.
“The Holy Spirit just came over me and said, ‘No, that’s really not yours,'” he said, according to mlive.com.
“As a born-again Christian, I want to do what Christ would want me to do, and I think that’s what he would want me to do.”
So he got in touch with Habitat for Humanity, and explained what had happened. They were able to locate the former owner of the couch — a man who had passed away last year.
It was that man’s granddaughter, Kim Fauth-Newberry, who’d donated the couch, ostensibly unaware of just how priceless it was.
According to WNEM, on Jan. 16, the store set up a meeting between Fauth-Newberry and Kirby, and the $43,170 made its way back into the hands of the family it belonged to.
“It’s just crazy,” Fauth-Newberry said. “It’s completely awesome.”
“To me, this is someone that despite what they’re going through — and in spite of their own needs — says ‘I’m just going to do the right thing,'” store manager Rick Merling said.
Apparently, Kirby had some pressing needs that the cash could have helped finance, but despite that he still made the call to do the kind thing.
“I always thought, ‘What would I do if that ever happened?’ Now I know, and it makes me feel good,” the good Samaritan said.
“It belonged to them, and I’m glad I was able to give it back to them.”
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