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Former student remembered for act of kindness before he died

Matthew Jackson
Matthew Jackson

Performing a random act of kindness was nothing out of the ordinary for former Liberty University student Matthew Jackson — his friends and loved ones say that he was caring that way. But one good deed by Jackson in a grocery store has made an impact far beyond the woman he helped that day.

National news outlets have reported that the day after 28-year-old Jackson paid a $200 grocery bill for a stranger, he died in a car crash. The story is spreading nationally on major networks.

On Nov. 10, Jamie Lynne-Knighten, a mother from Carlsbad, Calif., was weary from a recent overseas trip and holding a crying 5-month-old while waiting at the checkout at Trader Joe’s in Oceanside, California. According to news reports, when her credit card was declined with a long line of customers behind her, Jackson, who worked as a personal trainer at nearby LA Fitness, appeared and insisted on paying the bill. All he asked for in return was that she pay it forward, she told news reporters. She asked for his name and place of work, hoping to send a gift and tell his boss about his kindness. A week later, she called LA Fitness, only to find out that Jackson had died in a collision on Nov. 11.

Jackson attended Liberty from 2007 to Fall 2012. He began his studies online and came to campus in 2008, pursuing a degree in health promotion.

Related articles:

Good Morning America (via Yahoo! News)

NBC San Diego

LA Times

San Diego Union-Tribune

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