A WWII veteran had one simple birthday wish as he approaches 100 years old: to receive 100 cards in honor of his May 5 birthday.
Ray Painter posed for a photo posted to his assisted living residence's Facebook page spotlighting his request. However, Painter recently upped the ante to 1,000 cards and has opened 517 as of Monday.
"He's gotten a little greedy," joked Becky Tacy, administrator at The Mayflower senior living provider in Lexington, Virginia. "He said, 'I don't know why they're sending this old man these cards.'
"I was trying to explain to him what it meant 'to go viral,'" Tacy added. "He said, 'Oh my gosh, that's a lot of people!'"
Painter, 99, served in the U.S. Army and has been a resident at The Mayflower for nearly two years. He is predeceased by his wife Edna Painter, whom he was married for 65 years.
Painter has one son, two granddaughters and two great-grandchildren.
On April 15, the Mayflower shared the image of Painter holding a sign with his request. Since then, a local elementary school has hand-delivered cards and the post has been shared thousands of times.
Painter has received cards from all around the country.
"He's fun-loving, he's friendly, he's always telling jokes," Tacy said. "He said, 'It took me 100 years to get famous, but I think I am [now]."
In fact, this isn't the first time a WWII vet asked for 100 cards for his 100th birthday.
In February, Joe Cuba of Texas expressed the same wish when his residency of the Brookdale Midwestern Retirement Community shared a photo of him asking for cards. In the end, Cuba received thousands.
If you'd like to send a birthday card to Painter, mail to:
Ray Painter c/o The Mayflower 409 S. Main St. Lexington, VA 24450