Children's Hosptial Shoeshine Guy Who Donated $200K In Tips Dies

PITTSBURGH, PA - For Albert Lexie, every shoe shined was a chance to help others. For more than 30 years, the Monessen native shined shoes at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and donated every penny in tips from his one-man business.

Over the years, Mr. Lexie gave more than $202,000 to Children’s Free Care Fund that is designed to ensure all children receive the medical care they need regardless of their parents’ or an insurers’ ability to pay. his charitable work was recognized on several television programs including “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “The Jane Pauley Show,” “ABC News,” and “CBS Evening News,” among many others.

Mr. Lexie, the Monessen native well-known to hospital physicians, staff and executives, died Oct. 16. He was 76.

Twice a week for more than three decades, Mr. Lexie would catch leave home at 5:50 a.m. to catch a bus that would get the hospital around 7:25 a.m. He then would pick up the purple shoeshine cart for which he was known and begin making his rounds.

“First and foremost, Albert was our friend. He was a fixture at Children’s Hospital for more than three decades, and his kindess and generosity were and continue to be an inspiration for all of us,” UPMC Children’s Hospital president Christopher Gessner said in a statement. “He represented the true spirit of volunteerism and philanthropy and the contributions he made to the hospital far exceeded the tips he donated.”

Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.

Image via YouTube.

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