Michigan Man Finds $43,000 Stuffed In A Couch He Bought Secondhand And Doesn’t Keep A Cent

A Michigan man named Howard Kirby recently purchased a couch and other furniture from a Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Owosso. It wasn’t until he got home that he realized he got a lot more than he bargained for. There was $43,000 hidden in a box stuffed in the couch. Instead of keeping it, as most would probably be tempted to do, Kirby returned all of the money he had found, according to Today.

Kirby thought there was something off about the couch, as part of the cushion seemed hard. He and his family decided to open it up to see what was inside. It was then that they found the stacks of cash. At first Kirby was conflicted upon what to do. He technically could have kept the money without suffering any legal repercussions. He even checked with a lawyer just to ensure this was this case.

Nevertheless, he knew he wouldn’t feel morally right about it if he didn’t return it to its rightful owner. Kirby credits his born-again Christian faith for reminding him of what was right.

“The Holy Spirit just came over me and said, ‘No, that’s really not yours,'” he said.

He took the cash back to the store where employees were able to decipher who had donated the couch. It was a woman named Kim Fauth-Newberry. She said the couch belonged to her grandfather, who recently passed away. He had been very careful with his money and chose to only pay for things with cash.

Howard Kirby returned $43k after finding it in a couch he bought through @Habitat_org.
"I've heard it done so many other times and I always thought 'What would I do if that ever happened?'" Kirby said. "Now I know, and it makes me feel good." @KMBC pic.twitter.com/dz80UfMx3U

— Keleigh Beeson (@KeleighBeeson) January 18, 2020

Kirby feels good about his decision to return the money and feels that he acted as Christ would have wanted him to.

“It belonged to them, and I’m glad I was able to give it back to them. As a born-again Christian, I want to do what Christ would want me to do, and I think that’s what he would want me to do,” he said.

Habitat for Humanity has praised Kirby for his kindness, and even dubbed him a “Habitat Hero.”

“People find treasures in Habitat ReStores every day, but this is next level. We’re inspired by Mr. Kirby, who showed true Habitat spirit by putting others before himself and returning the money,” said Bryan Thomas, a spokesperson for the organization.

Kirby is among other generous people who have returned money that does not belong to them. As The Inquisitr previously reported, in 2018, a New York man named Richard Taverna returned a purse he found that contained $10,000.