When Gary Rittmer of Leisure World found a wallet on a dumpster near his carport on Aug. 5, he didn’t think twice about what to do.
He picked it up and called the community’s security office, which dispatched a guard to collect the wallet. It was soon returned to its owner, a landscaper working in Leisure World. “I saw there was cash, credit cards and ID in the wallet, and I put myself in the owner’s place,” the 74-year-old Navy veteran said.
“I never looked at how much money was in it. I only thought about how difficult it would be for him to replace everything.”
Rittmer’s act of kindness was recognized with a gift card and certificate from his Mutual, which homeowners associations in Leisure World are called.
But he downplayed any Good Samaritan references. “This is a close-knit community where people care about, and look out for, one another.” Returning the wallet, the Iowa native, explained, “was just the Leisure World thing to do.”
