This 89-Year-Old Delivery Guy Stole Hearts On TikTok – And Fans Sent Him A Breathtaking Surprise
It only took one video to make Derlin Newey a TikTok darling. He hadn’t made videos of himself to upload to the app, though. Instead, someone filmed him doing his job – and he went about it in such an endearing way that viewers wanted to do something for him in return. They pooled their resources and gave the 89-year-old a gift he would never forget.
It’s normal to have a brief, impersonal interaction with a delivery driver – they have a lot of stops to make and a small window of time in which to make them. But opening your front door to find Newey there holding your pizza, well, you’d be in for an entirely different experience.
A native of Ogden, Utah, Newey had worn many hats before becoming a pizza delivery driver. For example, he had once enjoyed competitive success as a downhill skier, and he had since retired from a career as a marketing professional, too. But the man who had seen nearly nine decades of life found himself delivering pizzas for a few reasons.
Mainly, though, Newey held the job because he enjoyed it – he liked to bring joy to his customers who wanted a pizza for dinner. A deep love for others brought the man closer and closer to embodying his personal mantra, as he explained to the website of the American Association of Retired People (AARP) in 2020. It was, “Do your best and love everybody without being critical.”
Little did he know it, but that very credo would come to change Newey’s life. It all started when he showed up to a customer’s house in Roy, UT, with a pineapple-covered pizza in hand. The 89-year-old chatted with the people awaiting their pie, and it made an impression – one that would change all of their lives.
