‘Thank You Does Not Come Even Close’: Teen Returns Woman’s Missing Wallet and Forms An Adorable, Unlikely Friendship

Delivontae Johnson, 19, pulled into an Arkansas Walmart to get his tire fixed when he noticed a wallet sitting on the ground.

By Emily Rella Feb 10, 2023

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Losing your wallet is a hopeless feeling, especially when you think it is gone for good.

But for 61-year-old Dee Harkrider of Forrest City, Arkansas, the seemingly impossible happened after she dropped her wallet in a Walmart parking lot — and the incident has led her to the most unlikely of friendships.

Delivontae Johnson, 19, pulled into the retail giant’s lot to get his tire fixed when he noticed a wallet on the ground.

After finding the Harkrider’s ID, he immediately looked her up on Facebook and sent her a message. But she didn’t respond right away, so, as any social media sleuth would do, Johnson messaged the person tagged in Harkrider’s profile photo.

From there, Johnson learned that Harkrider had gone to a friend’s house, and in an act of selfless service, Johnson drove to a restaurant parking lot in Palestine, Arkansas to return the wallet in person.

“Thank you does not come even close to the gratitude I feel for this young man whom I met only today,” Harkrider penned in a heartfelt Facebook post alongside a selfie she snapped with Johnson after the two met in person.

“He went out of his way and met me and gave me my wallet back. A friend told me I was lucky. I told her no, God was watching out for me. Delivontae Johnson, I pray that God bless you beyond any measure!! Now I have a new friend!”

In a later post, Harkrider shared that she met with Johnson’s mother, Rachel Johnson, for lunch and that she is “blessed to call her a friend now.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting more of her family, especially her mom,” Harkrider wrote. “After visiting with her today, I can see why Delivontae is the young man he is today!”

As for 19-year-old Johnson, he’s remaining humble about the situation — he just wanted to help out.

“I took it upon myself to go out the way, and I just wanted to do something that’s a good deed,” he told TODAY in an interview.

Looks like there is quite some good left in the world after all.

Losing your wallet is a hopeless feeling, especially when you think it is gone for good.

But for 61-year-old Dee Harkrider of Forrest City, Arkansas, the seemingly impossible happened after she dropped her wallet in a Walmart parking lot — and the incident has led her to the most unlikely of friendships.

Delivontae Johnson, 19, pulled into the retail giant’s lot to get his tire fixed when he noticed a wallet on the ground.

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Emily Rella

Senior News Writer
Emily Rella is a Senior News Writer at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was an editor at Verizon Media. Her coverage spans features, business, lifestyle, tech, entertainment, and lifestyle. She is a 2015 graduate of Boston College and a Ridgefield, CT native. Find her on Twitter at @EmilyKRella.

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