Stop & Shop Worker's Very Happy 99th Birthday

A Stop & Shop worker in New Jersey celebrated his 99th birthday on Sunday, Aug. 23 in (pandemic) style.

According to the Star-Ledger (NJ.com), friends, family, colleagues and customers of beloved bagger Bartholomeo “Bennie” Ficeto paraded past his home in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, on Sunday for what was described as a surprise birthday party for the World War II veteran.

Ficeto stood on his front deck, waving, above a banner reading, “Honk, it’s my birthday,” the newspaper reported. Ficeto has been working at various Stop & Shop stores for decades. Earlier this year, he took a leave of absence due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Last year, CBS News profiled Ficeto, who said at the time: "You got to enjoy work, you got to enjoy what you're doing. I see people running around and saying 'Oh, I have to go to work!' That's ridiculous." 

The New Jersey native has always been a hard worker. He told CBS News that he enlisted in the military when he was about 19 years old. Ficeto served in the U.S. Air Force during World War II, flying a B-25 Mitchell bomber over North Africa and Italy. He said that the hardest part about his time in service was losing his friends. Happily, he has managed to make plenty of friends during his years at Stop & Shop.