Woman Pays Amazing Tribute To Generous Stranger Who Died The Day After Paying For Her Groceries

An Ontario woman seeks to honour the life of kind stranger, Matthew Jackson, who died less than 24 hours after stepping in to pay her grocery bill. 

Jamie-Lynne Knighten from Carlsbad, California, was in American supermarket Trader Joe’s when she was the recipient of Matthew’s goodwill gesture.

She told the LA times that her shopping trip had been stressful – her five month old wouldn’t calm down, she realised she had left her debit card at home and her credit card was declined.

Jamie with her partner Josh. 

Then, a stranger, who later turned out to be 28-year-old Jackson, stepped up and asked if he could pay her $200 bill.

All he wanted in return was that she “pay it forward”.

She told the paper: “It just felt like this huge hug, this great big bear hug.”

All she knew about Matthew was that he worked at the local gym, but when she tried to call his boss to sing his praises, he began crying on the phone.

She wrote on Facebook: “I hear crying on the other end of the line and my heart sinks.. I just knew something was wrong.”

According to Global, Jackson had passed away in a car accident less than 24 hours after his good deed.

Knighten wrote: “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.”

Jamie-Lynne is now encouraging others to pay it forward in Matthew’s name, through her Matthew’s Legacy Facebook page.

“This is what the world needs to hear this is what I want my kids to see. I want my kids to recognize that there are still really really good people out there.”