SWANSEA, Ill. – Stories of accidental tips, while rare, are not uncommon among folks in the service industry. But an $800 tip? No mistake about it.

It took waitress Maggie Carty’s breath away.

“Well, I was at a loss for words when it all happened,” she said. “I had none.”

A family outing brought Karen and Scott Gebke, along with their two children, Emma and Austin, to Fletcher’s Kitchen & Tap in Swansea last week. A family dinner to honor Karen and Scott’s daughter, Alice, who died at birth 18 years ago, on June 21.

“We were having a family day for our daughter’s birthday,” Karen said. “She would have been 18 last Wednesday. So, every year for her birthday we go out and do a family day.”

And on this day, the family had $800 to give away and an idea to do some good. They collected money from friends and family and picked a family-owned establishment to visit.

“We didn’t expect this much,” Karen said. “We expected people to give $1 or $2 or, at most, $5. Many people gave $18 because she was turning 18, and it was just overwhelming.”

When the Gebkes learned Carty shared the same middle name as their late Alice, they took it as a sign. In another bit of serendipity, Carrie Underwood’s “See You Again” was playing over the speakers at the restaurant.

“It felt like more than ever (Alice) was here with us while we were eating and doing the donation,” Scott Gebke said. “Like my wife said, the song playing was a sign. Maggie’s middle name was a sign. It just really felt good.” 

Carty called it “the surprise of my life,” adding that the money will go toward her schooling in the fall.

 I didn’t even know them when they came in, and I received a lot of love for it, and appreciate it a lot,” she said. “Yeah, we’re friends now. Now, I know them.”