Something amazing just happened in Owosso, MI. In 1989, Rich Tipton did what any good father would do: He sold his prized possession to better take care of his family.
That possession was a 1977 Corvette. He had owned the car for 11 years, purchasing it in 1978 with only 4,000 miles on it. But in 1989, he had a 6-year-old daughter and a set of 2-year-old twins. The love of his family was more important than the love of his car.
Why would anyone care about a car so much? Well, it was the car he and his wife drove to their honeymoon in, the car that was borrowed for school proms, and the car used for vacations.
It may seem silly, but the Corvette was a bit of a time capsule. "I told my kids if I ever win the lottery I will probably go and buy it back," Tipton said.
But he didn't have to win the lottery — his children knew it was time to pay their dad's sacrifice forward.
A year ago, Tipton and his daughter attended a car showcase at a used car lot. The Corvette was right there. Molly saw the way her father jumped for joy and ran to touch it.
"I'm going to be 70. It wasn't a thing for me to do to buy it back. I had other things that were more important," Tipton explained as reasoning for why he didn't buy it himself.
In the video below, you'll see his children surprise him with the car he always loved. Tipton is instantly moved to tears.
I haven't seen a surprise this emotional since U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Joseph Martel surprised his son during a football game.
"They opened the door and I just started crying like a baby. I couldn't believe it. It was unbelievable," Tip told MLive.
"I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. … When he opened the door to it and put his hand up to his face, I just melted," Molly said.
Please SHARE if you wish you could pay your parents back for all of the sacrifices they've made!
