Crane Operator Goes Extra Mile To Befriend A Dying Man Who Had Been Watching Him Work Every Day

A heartwarming story of a crane operator from Ohio shared how he became friends with a dying man who watched him work till he passed away.

Shawn Beveridge shared on Facebook about how a ‘hello’ he said to a stranger led him to a beautiful friendship with a man who needed company during his last days.

He met the man while operating a crane on the construction site, Beveridge saw the man sitting in a wheelchair outside a nursing home across the street. “Since day one when I arrived on this job site I’ve noticed him sitting there every morning from 7 am. He takes lunch when we do and doesn’t leave until I shut the crane down and head out,” he wrote.

“I originally had thought to myself, ‘he’s just a curious old man wanting to enjoy his days outside versus being cooped up in his room,” Beveridge said, “Well after a couple days, I myself got curious, so I walked over and introduced myself to him.”

The man identified as Harold, spoke to Beveridge for two and a half hours about construction. He had been a crane operator for the last fifty years before health issues landed him in hospice care in 2012, “He said he enjoys seeing what he use to love to do for a living and never thought he’d ever be able to see or be around a crane again, let alone be so close to see one in action,” wrote Beveridge. “So I made Harold a deal!

The deal between the two was “Harold ran cranes for over 50 years and no matter how good you think you are at something, there’s always more to learn. So I told Harold every day after work, I’ll sit with him for a little bit so he can critique me and judge me on how I did for that day (give him something to talk about that he enjoys) while I also get to learn from him. In return, I would bring him a black coffee every morning for as long as I’m here and buy him lunch twice a week from wherever he chooses. He didn’t skip a beat before ‘ABSOLUTELY!’ came out of his mouth,” continued Beveridge.

Beveridge said that Harold wanted to be put on the payroll, but since it wasn’t possible they came to a fair agreement,” he added. Their warm encounter which was shared on Facebook has been shared more than 200,000 times and Beveridge hopes this will help people reach out to strangers needing a smile. “Always try to enlighten someone’s spirits. When God chooses to take this man home, I’m happy knowing that I’ve been placed here at this location to make his days better,” concluded Beveridge. “I’m happy with that.”

Maybe all that Harold was waiting to experience before he died was a little bit of kindness from someone, and that was Beveridge. Let’s get out of our comfort zones and share some love and kindness with others around us today.