Paul Walker Anonymously Purchased Engagement Ring For Military Couple Unable To Afford It

The late Paul Walker is being credited as the thoughtful shopper who bought a diamond engagement ring for a military couple that couldn’t afford the purchase.

Kyle Upham and his wife, Kristen Upham, told KCAL-TV the spectacular act of kindness from the actor occurred when the pair was shopping in a Santa Barbara jewelry store in 2004. Kyle was about to be deployed to Iraq for his second tour of duty and struck up a conversation with a shopper in the store who offered his advice on Kyle’s ring choice.

“I noticed there was someone else in there, but didn’t give it much thought, and we started looking at rings and whatnot, and he kept saying, ‘Go bigger’ and I kept saying, ‘No, look at the prices,’” recalled Kristen.

After talking to the stranger more, Kyle realized it was the actor Paul Walker. The two spoke about their job, with Kyle telling Walker he would soon be deployed to Iraq.

“And when he found out Kyle just came back from Iraq -- I remember seeing the look in his face,” said Kristen. “He kind of transformed.”

Kyle and Kristen left the jewelry store without buying the ring. But they were soon surprised to receive a phone call from a saleswoman instructing them to return to the store. Once at the jewelry store, Kristen says a clerk “came out holding a bag and just said, ‘Here’s your ring.’ I think both of our mouths dropped,” Kristen says.

Though the employees at the store wouldn’t reveal who bought the ring, the Uphams believed it was Walker who made the purchase. Their suspicions were finally confirmed when the jewelry store clerk told the story on Monday following the "Fast & Furious" star's tragic death in a car accident on Saturday.