LANSING, Mich — The Mercedes Club clothing store in Lansing will close its doors following the death of owner Daniel Thomas at age 68.
• Daniel Thomas died from bone cancer at age 68, leaving behind his fiancée Wanda.
• A store closing sale will be held Friday and Saturday to help cover funeral expenses.
• The space will be converted into an event center, fulfilling one of Thomas' entrepreneurial dreams.
"He died peaceful. That's all I wanted for him and that's all I wanted from him was to be at peace because he was in such pain from that bone cancer," said Wanda, Thomas' fiancée.
WATCH: Lansing clothing store owner's legacy lives on through fiancée's plans
Visibly emotional days after his passing, Wanda described Thomas as loving, caring and funny – qualities she says she won't forget.
"A big piece of me is missing because he did everything for me," Wanda said.
I met Daniel Thomas last fall after an SUV crashed through the store, prompting community members to help with cleanup. Thomas was emotional and grateful during our interview at that time.
"It's just a lot of good people in Lansing," Thomas said then.
Now those same community members are helping again. Wanda is working with them to organize a store closing sale this Friday and Saturday, with proceeds going toward Thomas' funeral expenses.
"We got these beautiful men shoes right here, for just $25 during the sales," Wanda said.
According to Wanda, many items in the store must be sold. Once the store closes, she plans to convert the space into an event center – something that was on Thomas' entrepreneurial wish list.
"We're going to do like repast events, baby showers, people could have meetings here," Wanda said.
As she works to bring Thomas' dreams to life, Wanda continues to send a message to the man she considers her soulmate.
"I would tell him, I am doing my best to make him proud and to continue his legacy," Wanda said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
