Man Surprises Mom and Pays Off Her Mortgage (Exclusive)

• André Williams’ mom, Tracy Gathers-Williams, has always been his best friend and biggest supporter
• Last year, the Houston native decided he wanted to pay off her mortgage
• Despite his own personal challenges, he surprised her and paid off her mortgage in September, posting the video of her reaction on social media

André Williams’ mom, Tracy Gathers-Williams, has always been his best friend and biggest supporter. Whenever he faces a big decision or needs advice, he turns to her for guidance. The 32-year-old program manager at Microsoft credits his strong work ethic to her, saying that watching her diligence and hard work throughout her life has greatly influenced him.

So last year, the Houston native decided he wanted to give back to his mom, 54, in a special way. He confided in a cousin about his plan to pay off her mortgage. Tracy currently lives in South Carolina with André’s sister, dad and nephew.

“My mom has worked extremely hard, and I felt this would be the most meaningful gift I could give her,” André tells PEOPLE exclusively. “I’ve reached a level in my career where I’m proud and able to bless others. What better way to do that than to relieve her of her biggest expense?”

André wanted to keep his plan a surprise, so he didn’t tell anyone else, including his sister, for fear that his mom might find out. To gather the necessary information to pay off the mortgage, he had to be clever: he asked Tracy for a copy of her mortgage statement, claiming he needed it to compare with his own.

Months went by, and she kept forgetting to send it. Finally, on Dec. 27, 2023, she sent him the statement.

“When she sent it to me in December, I set a date and did the calculations. I thought, by September, I should be able to do it,” André says.

“So much happened in the meantime — my car got stolen, my house got robbed and I moved to Houston,” he adds. “I own a home in Atlanta and had to evict a tenant right after I moved. I was juggling my mortgage in Atlanta and rent in Houston. Despite everything going on, I kept my goal in mind. I had to make it happen.”

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With his determination, André persevered. His plan was to go home in September to present his mom with the check while keeping his visit a surprise. However, when the day arrived, he faced another challenge: Hurricane Helene, which prevented him from traveling. So, he devised a new idea.

“I went to the bank that morning and paid off the loan,” he says. “Then I reached out to my sister and said, ‘Hey, I’m going to send my mom a video.’ At that point, I had just told my sister what I was doing. I knew I needed to wait until the day of to tell her, so I said, ‘Hey, this is happening, and I need your help.’ I explained that I couldn’t get home because of the hurricane, and it was supposed to be a surprise.”

He asked her to film a video of his mom’s reaction, adding that she should “keep her work clothes on” to look good in the video. Instead, his sister caught her after she had changed into sweats. When André later shared the video on social media, his mom jokingly asked, “Why would you do that to me?”

Watching the video, André had anticipated tears, but what surprised him was the profound sense of relief on his mom’s face. He adds that the rest of his family, including his sister and dad, appreciated it, too.

“I felt like she was so free,” he reflects. “It’s hard to describe, but I saw a release of stress and energy. She’s been making payments on something for 20 years, and now she doesn’t have to worry about it anymore. I didn’t fully appreciate how monumental that would feel for her until after the fact.”

“Especially in the Black community, being able to pass down a home is significant,” he adds. “When I watched it, I was so happy for her to say, ‘Yes, I own my home. It’s mine. I have the deed and the title. It belongs to me.’ Not many people get to say that, and I’m so proud that I was able to give that to my mom.”

Since posting his mom’s reaction on Instagram and X, the video has gone viral, capturing the hearts of many. André says reading through the comments has been “super humbling.”

“I think what I try to tell people is that you can do anything you set your mind to,” he says. “Ordinary people can do extraordinary things for others every day. The comments from people who don’t know me, expressing their happiness for my mom and celebrating how she raised me, mean so much. If I had a choice, I would choose her over and over again because she raised me with so much love and care. I think that was captured in the words I spoke to her.”

“There are so many things I could have done with that money,” he adds, “but nothing would have been as meaningful as this gift for both myself and my mom.”