An 85-year-old man was moved to tears after strangers drove from all over his town of Cape Code in their antique cars to surprise him with a special parade for his birthday.
Gerald Broadbridge has loved cars since he was a child; he has pictures from his childhood proudly standing next to soap box cars.
Before coronavirus hit, his family said he loved going to car shows, and it's typical for him to go the grocery store for one quick thing and come back two hours later – because he struck up a conversation with someone in the parking lot about their car.
MORE: Retired police officer with ALS reunites with military son during surprise paradePerhaps the best thing about his love of cars is how it bonded him to his grandchildren. He taught all of his grandchildren, who call him Boo Boo, how to drive.
"Since he lived far away from us it made him feel like he was a part of us growing up," his granddaughter Meg Coyle said. "He'll always call us and ask how the driving is going."
After months of not being able to visit her parents due to the pandemic, Broadbridge's daughter Lisa Coyle wanted to plan something for his 85th birthday, so she reached out to Cape Cod's British Car Club to ask if they would be willing to bring one or two cars to a parking lot near Broadbridge's house for him to admire as a birthday surprise.
"Within the hour, two people had called me back saying, 'We're so in,' and telling me, 'We'll see who wants to drive,'" Coyle said. "They were so sweet and so excited about it."
On Sunday, Coyle and her family, who live three and half hours away in Connecticut, told Broadbridge they were coming to visit for the day.
She suggested he take her daughter Molly, who is a senior in high school, out for a "graduation ride" in his vintage red Corvette. The family told him that afterward they would meet him at the beach.
Broadbridge didn't know that when he got back to the parking lot, a huge surprise would be waiting for him.
The Coyles were shocked to see that the British Car Club didn't organize just one or two cars to come – 24 cars came to wish Broadbridge a happy birthday with a full-blown parade. All of the people in the cars, who before that day were strangers, honked and waved, and many even made custom posters bearing birthday wishes.
MORE: Couple celebrates 73rd wedding anniversary with a surprise parade in quarantine"He just couldn't believe that 24 people came from so far in these antique cars to surprise him and organize and do this for him," Coyle said. "He loves car shows and there's not many around. So if you're him and get your own personal car show – he didn't even know what to do with himself."
For his family, his reaction was the greatest gift of all.
"He cries at anything," Meg Coyle joked. "But all of us were crying. I was videotaping him and his mouth was wide open. He was just speechless."
In addition to the parade, the Cape Cod British Car Club also gifted Broadbridge a 1-year membership – so he can continue to talk about cars with other car lovers even after the big birthday surprise was over.
MORE: 2-year-old who spent 700 days in foster care gets parade on adoption day"I am a big believer that there are more good people than bad – it just reaffirms how wonderful people are," Lisa Coyle said. "There are no words."
The parade served as a reminder that even in a time where he can't physically touch on another, acts of kindness from strangers can continue to touch hearts.
"Even 6 feet away we are all capable of touching others in creative ways beyond our imagination. It wasn't just a celebration for him, but a true celebration of humanity. People are so good," Meg Coyle said. "Standing there watching strangers rise up and take a drive will leave a forever imprint on our family's heart."
