To fulfill a Detroit man’s dying wish, a helicopter dropped money over Gratiot Avenue near Conner Street on Friday, June 27. This was in honor of the late Darrell “Plant”
Thomas, who passed away on June 15, according to the Detroit Free Press.
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Money Dropped From Helicopter In The Sky After Funeral
The 58-year-old’s two sons put the whole plan together on the day of his funeral. They had a helicopter drop $5,000 and rose petals at 1:27 PM over Showroom Shine Express, the car wash he owned, said Crystal Perry, Thomas’ niece.
Perry described the stunning send-off as a way to honor his final wishes. “This was a final expression of love from him to the community because he was a giver,” said Perry. “Yesterday was simply a farewell tribute to an Eastside legend.”
According to the New York Post, Thomas didn’t just own a car wash. He was a licensed professional race car driver with the National Hot Rod Association, per a recording of his funeral.
He tragically died after a difficult battle with Alzheimer’s disease. But, instead of being sad during his funeral, the family celebrated Thomas’ generosity with this dramatic act.
“He would do anything for anybody,” Perry continued. “He just had a different kind of heart. You don’t meet people like that nowadays.”
Footage of the cash and flower petals falling from the sky showed just how grand the celebration was. Once the bills fell to the ground, you could see mourners and passersby scooping some up.
Due to the spectacle, traffic on Gratiot Avenue came to a stop for a few minutes. You would think that money falling from the sky would make a chaotic situation. In reality, the crowd maintained composure as they picked up the money.
“Everybody got a little bit,” said Lisa Knife, a bystander who was stunned at the scene, to Detroit News. She’s an employee at the Airport Express Lube & Service, which is near where the helicopter dropped the money.
“There was no fighting, none of that,” Knife added. “It was really beautiful.”
There was another worker who was about to start her shift at the nearby Motor City Coney Island. Just then, Anaya Toney noticed the bills falling from above.
“There were so many people, it was actually kind of crazy,” said Toney. Toney even mentioned that the drivers who stopped in the middle of the traffic got out of their cars to grab some money.