An Early Holiday Bonus for This Worker: Early Retirement

Albert Brigas, a 69-year-old Vietnam vet from Texas, has been working for Renown Auto Restoration in San Antonio for 13 years, and he had his eye on retiring sometime in 2020, after plunking down the final mortgage payment on the house he's lived in for nearly a quarter century. But his boss, Rudy Quinones, tells KENS he could tell his dedicated employee—who'd come in even when he was sick, with a "level of loyalty ... you just don't find anymore"—was itching to start his new role as retiree. "Albert has been grumbling about that for the past year," Quinones says. So Quinones decided to remedy those grumbles by fast-tracking Brigas' golden-years plan.

The boss called his worker into his office and delivered some news: He was giving Brigas a check for $5,000 or so for Brigas to finish up his commitment to the bank so he could leave his job to spend more time with family, including two grandchildren. The news outlet got wind of Quinones' deed thanks to another worker who felt this story should be shared. "Not enough good news is out there. ... People [need to] know ... there are people out there that do good things for other people," that employee says. As for Quinones, he was glad to help out his longtime worker and family. "To give them something they've been yearning for their whole lives, it's incredible," the generous supervisor says. (More uplifting news stories.)