In the small town of Hinsdale, New Hampshire, people knew Geoffrey Holt as the unassuming caretaker of the mobile home park where he lived.
What they didn’t know was that he was a multimillionaire — and he donated the entirety of his $3.8 million fortune to the 4,000-person community after he died at age 82 in June.
When Holt suffered a stroke in September 2021, his best friend and one-time employer Edwin “Smokey” Smith became his primary caretaker and estate executor, according to the Brattleboro Reformer.
“Geoff was a private person, preferring to be in the crowd rather than in the front of it,” Smith tells CNBC Make It.
Holt had previously confided to Smith about his wealth, but Smith didn’t know of Holt’s plans until he became caretaker.
“I wasn’t particularly surprised,” says Smith. “Except I expected him to leave his money with more than one place.”
Holt’s fortune was placed in the care of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
Grants will be made “to honor Mr. Holt’s wishes: support projects, programs and organizations that provide health, educational, recreational or cultural benefits to the residents of Hinsdale,” an NHCF spokesperson tells CNBC Make It.
A shrewd investor, Holt invested in several mutual funds that grew over the years. “He was quite surprised that his investments had done as well as they did,” says Smith.
Holt settled in Hinsdale in the 1970s after serving in the Navy. He didn’t own a car and lived frugally in a mobile home on the 25-acre land Smith owned.
“It was his oasis in the world,” says Smith. “He could remove himself from everyday life, read and enjoy nature, the views, a brook, birds and all else that goes with his private hideaway.”
The same thing happened in a town 7 miles away
Interestingly, this isn’t the first time a secret millionaire in the area has made a sizable donation to their hometown.
In 2014, janitor and gas station attendant Ronald Read passed away at age 92 in Brattleboro, Vermont — right across the state border…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply