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Journalism of Courage
At an age when most people enjoy peaceful retirement, Vince Scidone, 90, is working hard, all to take care of his sick wife.
The former Marine, carpenter, and union representative from Oklahoma now spends his days cooking pizzas, quesadillas, and burgers at an OnCue convenience store, trying to keep up with the rising cost of living, Business Insider reported.
Scidone joined the store in July 2024, earning $14.90 an hour (Rs 1,300, approximately) and worked four days a week. Despite the unusual situation for someone his age, he enjoys the job and the camaraderie with his colleagues. “We laugh and joke a lot,” he said. “They don’t want me climbing ladders,” he added with a chuckle.
The couple’s financial strain began after purchasing a new home. Vince and his wife Deborah had saved about $50,000 (Rs 44 lakh, approximately) but that was quickly spent on a down payment, furnishings, and sharply rising property taxes that soared from Rs 1.7 lakh to more than Rs 4.4 lakh annually. Even with a combined income of roughly Rs 91.6 lakh last year, their monthly costs, including mortgage, utilities, medical bills, car payments, and church donations, total about Rs 61,000. “I just paid some bills and had to go into my savings account, which is down to $42 (Rs 3,700, approximately),” Scidone admitted. “My credit has gone downhill.”
Although he has been receiving a pension since 1998, Vince says it hasn’t kept pace with inflation. “You can survive, but it’s a hard way to go,” he said. With Deborah recovering from major surgery and unable to work, the burden falls squarely on him.
Yet, Scidone remains undeterred. “It doesn’t bother me to be 90 and still working,” he said. “But I’d love for us both to be able to retire and break our routine,” hopefully with enough savings to spend more time with their children and grandchildren.
