90-year-old forced to work at a store to support sick wife: 'It's a hard way to go'

A 90-year-old retired carpenter in Oklahoma, US, has returned to the workforce to support his wife and cover rising living costs, Business Insider reported.

Vince Scidone, a former Marine and union representative, now works part-time as a cook at OnCue, a convenience store chain. He took the job in July 2024 after struggling to make ends meet on a fixed pension and Social Security income. “I had to go back into the workforce,” Scidone said. “I tried for three months, but my age was against me.”

Scidone earns $14.90 (about Rs 1,300) an hour and works four days a week, preparing pizzas, quesadillas, and burgers for the store’s grab-and-go bar. He says the job is pleasant and his coworkers treat him with respect. “We laugh and joke a lot,” he said. “They don’t want me climbing ladders.”

Scidone’s financial troubles began after he and his wife Deborah bought a new home in Oklahoma. The couple had $50,000 (about Rs 44 lakh) in savings, but spent it within three years on a down payment, furnishings, and rising property taxes, which jumped from $2,000 (about Rs 1.7 lakh) to over $5,000 (Rs 4.4 lakh) annually. Their combined income last year was $104,000 (Rs 91.6 lakh), including Deborah’s $997 (about Rs 88,000) monthly Social Security check, but their expenses—utilities, medical bills, mortgage, car payments, and church tithes—total around $7,000 (about Rs 61,000) a month.