Family pays Surfside Walmart layaways as a tribute to a longtime employee
An anonymous family paid off about $10,000 worth of layaway items Saturday at the Surfside area Walmart.
The family did it to honor a longtime employee of the Surfside Walmart who died in July — Frank Coppola.
It’s the first time each layaway order has been paid off at the location, said assistant manager Felicia Terrell.
“For it to happen here, it was almost like the associates felt like kids again, Terrell said. “It was like Santa had arrived..”
About 30 layaway orders were paid off, totaling about $10,000, she said.
Coppola retired in July 2017 after working nearly 20 years at Surfside Walmart.
The anonymous donor and his family did it as a “last tribute.”
“We don’t want our names mentioned,” the anonymous donor told The Sun News on Thursday. “That’s not what it’s about.”
Donors have paid layaway items off across the country during this season of giving. Actor Tyler Perry paid $400,000 worth of layaways this month at an Atlanta Walmart, and following his lead, Kid Rock paid $81,000 at a Nashville Walmart., according to the Associated Press.
This story was originally published December 20, 2018 at 9:21 AM.
