Earlier this month, Easthampton, Massachusetts, teen Anthony Pascinella and some friends decided to start a carwash business to earn some money. On their very first day in business, their very first customer was 38-year-old Dan Williamson, an employee at a nearby Advance Auto Parts. Anthony realized his tools weren't getting the job done so he went and visited Dan at his store. “So I walked into the store and was just like I asked for to see what we could start off with and how much it would cost and he came over and said here is some tools and some money for you guys and we were all confused and were like ‘Really?’”
Dan then took the time on his lunch break to teach them the proper way to wash a car.
Dan passed away the very next day from a heart attack.
The boys could not believe that the man who had shared so much with them in the only day they knew him, was gone! They decided to devote their first full day of business to his family. They said Dan had talked about his only child and some of his dreams for his life and how they were heartbroken to know that the boy would now grow up without the dad who loved him so much. They posted their idea on Facebook to try and get as many customers as possible to help the family.
Dan's mother Marla wasn't surprised to hear that Dan had helped the boys in his final day of life. She tells the Western Mass News “Danny loved kids. That’s who he was. He was a very humble person, happy go lucky”. “I was reading it and it brought me to tears…I did come down and seen it and I had my car washed and I sat that day here,”
In an emotional gesture, the boys presented Williamson’s mom Maria Kelley with $500, which she plans to use for the benefit of Williamson's son, Domenic. When asked if there was anything he’d say if he could speak to Williamson one last time, Pascinella says, “Thank you for helping us and getting this all started. You changed all of our lives in a single day".
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