Grandfather walks 56 Km to work every day to support his sick wife

Many people moan about their daily commute but they have nothing on 61-year-old Steven Simoff who walks an incredible 56 kilo metres to work every day.

The 61-year-old, who is an overnight caretaker at a Casino, leaves his home at 3.30pm so he can arrive in time to clock in for 11pm.

And after a gruelling seven-hour walk along the highway, he then begins his working day during which he will spend the night on his feet cleaning the Casino.

Steven, who lives in Davis City, doesn't even have a picturesque walk to work - instead he tramps along the bleak Interstate 35 to get to the Lakeside Casino in Osceola, Iowa.

But he doesn't moan instead Steven says he will do whatever it takes to get to work so he can provide for his family.

His wife Renee had a stroke nine years ago and has since suffered several heart attacks.

Since then she has been unable to work and receives Supplemental Security Income.

The couple share their home in Davis City with their 22-year-old grandson, Steven, who they adopted and who is currently unemployed.

Money has been tight since Renee's health problems began and Steven is the sole breadwinner.

He told the De Moines Register: "First of all, when you got a family, and you've got a job," he said, "you've got to be able to support your family. And you've got to keep your job — the most two important things I can think of."

Since he earns just Sh830 ($9.07) an hour in his casino job, Simoff says his family can't afford to live closer to work because their rent in Davis City is just Sh36, 530 ($400) a month.

And, although the 61-year-old owns a 2002 Ford Windstar minivan, he says he can rarely afford to buy gas for it.

The seven-hour walk means he has to buy a new pair of shoes every two months but he has never been injured on his journey and he says the only medicine he takes is the occasional aspirin.

Steven's commute outstrips that of Detroit resident James Robertson, 56, whose 21- mile trek to work was highlighted by the media.

After his dedication captured the public's admiration, kind well-wishers donated Sh31, 961,894 ($350,000) from a GoFundMe campaign and a new Ford Taurus.

Steven is lucky he can catch a lift to work three out of five days and travels back most of the way with a colleague who drops him off in Leon just eight miles from home.

"He's trying to earn a living," said Emil Segebart, who has been giving lifts to Simoff for ten years.

"That's how I look at it. You're trying to earn a living and doing what it takes. And this is what it takes."

Steven says whether people are happy to stop often depends on the weather.

For the caretaker, who works from Thursday to Tuesday, says Sundays are usually the trickiest for hailing a lift.