A New Hampshire man who had no cars or furniture and was simply seen as a caretaker of a mobile home park was found to be a secret millionaire and left the town with $3.8 million after his death.
The man, identified as Geoffrey Holt, lived a simple but curious life in Hinsdale, New Hampshire. Residents of the town would see the man around the area in threadbare clothes while riding his lawn mower. He would go to the convenience store and park along the main road reading a newspaper or watching cars pass.
New Hampshire Man Leaves $3.8 Million for Town
Holt was also known for doing odd jobs for other people and rarely left Hinsdale. While he was teaching driver's ed to high schoolers, he did not own his own car. He instead opted to have a bicycle and finally his lawn mower.
The man's mobile home that was located in the park was mostly empty of furniture and had no TV and no computer. Furthermore, the leg of his bed went through the floor of his mobile home, as per Fortune.
Holt's best friend and former employer, Edwin "Smokey" Smith said that the elderly man seemed to already have what he wanted in life, which was not much. Earlier this year, the man died and he was revealed to actually be a multimillionaire. Additionally, he gave all of his money away to a community of roughly 4,200 people.
The elderly man's will had brief instructions, which was to give $3.8 million to the town of Hinsdale so that it would benefit the community in the areas of education, health, recreation, and culture. The chairperson of the town select board, Steve Diorio said that no one probably had any idea that Holt was that successful financially.
Diorio, who would occasionally wave at Holt from his car, added that the old man did not have a whole lot of family and chose to leave his fortune to the town where he lived. The money could go far in the Connecticut River town that is located between Vermont and Massachusetts.
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A Secret Millionaire
Holt's sister, Alison Holt, said that his brother had a learning disability, dyslexia. She was also aware that her late brother had seen quiet success in investing but did not know the extent of his earnings, according to Fox News.
Alison continued to say that her brother was very smart in certain ways but he struggled when it came to spelling or writing. Their father was a professor, and she believes this added pressure on her brother to feel like he was disappointing their dad.
So far, there have been no formal gatherings to discuss the actual plans for the money that Holt left to the town. Some residents have already proposed to upgrade the town hall clock, restore various buildings, and buy a new ballot counting machine.
Many organizations are expected to apply for grants via a trust through the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, drawing from the interest of about $150,000 every year, said the Associated Press.
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