Paul Walker Once Secretly Changed An Iraq War Veteran's Life, And The Story Will Warm Your Heart

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Paul Walker Once Secretly Changed An Iraq War Veteran's Life, And The Story Will Warm Your Heart

Just Jared / Daily Mail via Facebook

"We will be back in five minutes."

Those were Paul Walker's final words before a fatal car accident took his life in 2013.  

The actor was 40 years old at the time of his death, and was mourned by family, friends, co-stars, and fans who laid a shrine at the spot where he died in northern LA.

But one couple in particular must have been crushed to hear about the Fast and Furious star's death after Paul changed the course of their lives.

Kyle and Kristen Upham from Victorville were newlyweds in 2004 when they were looking for a diamond ring at a Santa Barbara jewelry store.

Kyle was hoping to get a ring for his new wife before he was sent on his second deployment back to Iraq.

"I noticed there was someone else in there but didn't give it much thought, and we started looking at rings and whatnot and he kept saying, "˜Go bigger' and I kept saying, "˜No, look at the prices,'" Kristen told CBS in 2013.

When the military couple recognized Paul Walker in the store, Kyle walked up to him and started a conversation.

Kyle mentioned to the actor that he recently came back from Iraq, but was returning soon.

"When [Paul] found out Kyle just came back from Iraq - I remember seeing the look in his face. He kind of transformed," Kristen remembered.  

The couple ended up leaving the store without the $9,000 diamond band that Kristen fell in love with.

And here's where their story gets interesting...

Shortly after leaving the store, the couple received a call from a saleswoman to return.

"One of the ladies came out holding a bag and just said, "˜Here's your ring.' I think both of our mouths dropped," Kristen recalled.

When the couple asked who purchased the ring, the saleswoman only smiled and said it was an anonymous gift.

CBS

The Uphams speculated that Paul was behind the act of generosity, but they didn't find out until after his tragic death.

The employee, Irene King, opened up about the story, which has allowed many people to see Paul as more than just an actor.

CBS / Facebook

"He called the manager and he said, "˜Umm, the ring that those people are looking at "“ put it on my tab,'" King remembered. "Soon after that, he just left."

To this day, Kristen said Walker's gesture still warms her heart:

"His real life speaks volumes of his character. He really did put his money where his mouth is and did good for this world."

Paul's daughter, Meadow, is also following in her father's footsteps.

The teenager was inspired by her late father's philanthropic efforts, leading her to start the Paul Walker Foundation.

"I wanted to start this foundation because I want to share that piece of him with others. I want to share that piece of him with the world," she wrote on the foundation's website.

The Paul Walker foundation's main focus is on environmental issues and to "help ocean leaders of tomorrow become beacons in the fight to protect our oceans, wildlife, and ourselves."

Also, the foundation provides grants and scholarships to students and researchers in the field of marine science.

Share Walker's act of kindness and let's keep his legacy alive!

Late last year, Meadow settled with Porsche in a wrongful death lawsuit. Read more about it here!

[H/T: Daily Mail / CBS]

Moojan has been a writer at Shared for a year. When she's not on the lookout for viral content, she's looking at cute animal photos. Reach her at moojan@shared.com.