New Hampshire
Secret, mobile home multi-millionaire who drove lawnmower leaves fortune to small town
A New Hampshire man who lived in an unfurnished mobile and drove a lawn mower around his small town died a secret multi-millionaire and bequeathed his fortune to the tight-knit community.
Geoffrey Holt, who died in June at the age 82, was known as the caretaker of a Hinsdale mobile home park where he lived in a unit with no computer or TV and a bed with legs that went through the floor.
Holt rarely left the town of 4,200 on the Vermont and Massachusetts border and did not have a car.
He was often seen riding his mower to the local convenience store, clad in threadbare clothes.
Edwin “Smokey” Smith, Holts best friend, former employer and a former Republican state lawmaker, learned shortly before his death that the divorced and childless man had made investments that had paid off in a big way — to the tune of $3.8 million.
“He seemed to have what he wanted, but he didn’t want much,” he said.
Smith suggested that Holt think of the community, but never expected him to will the entire lump sum to its coffers, with the instructions that it be spent on education, health, recreation and culture.
“I was sort of dumbfounded when I found out that all of it went to the town,” said Smith.
He was well-liked in the community, where he often did odd jobs for others, but what most residents didn’t know was that he was living vastly below his means.
“I think for Geoff, lawn mowing was relaxation, it was a way for him to kind of connect with the outdoors,” his physical therapist Jim Ferry said.
“I think he saw it as service to people that he cared about, which were the people in the trailer park that I think he really liked because they were not fancy people.”
“I don’t think anyone had any idea that he was that successful,” said Steve Diorio, chairperson of the town selectboard who’d occasionally wave at Holt from his car. “I know he didn’t have a whole lot of family, but nonetheless, to leave it to the town where he lived in … It’s a tremendous gift.”
Town officials were debating how best to use the substantial shot in the arm, and organizations were invited to apply for grants.
Hinsdale will “utilize the money left very frugally as Mr. Holt did,” said Kathryn Lynch, town administrator.
Holt, a former production manager at a grain mill, used to comb through financial publications and had invested in a communications mutual fund before the advent of the digital age.
His sister, 81-year-old Alison Holt of Laguna Woods, California, said that Holt learned from his father the importance of not wasting money and investing.
“Geoffrey had a learning disability. He had dyslexia,” she said. “He was very smart in certain ways. When it came to writing or spelling, he was a lost cause. And my father was a professor. So, I think that Geoff felt like he was disappointing my dad. But maybe socking away all that money was a way to compete.”
Holt, who had served in the Navy and collected history books and records by composers like Handel and Mozart, didn’t talk about money with his sister but had often asked her if she needed anything.
“I just feel so sad that he didn’t indulge himself just a little bit,” said Alison, who is also childless.
“He always told me that his main goal in life was to make sure that nobody noticed anything,” she said, adding that he’d say “or you might get into trouble.”
With Post wires
New Hampshire
Neighbors in this N.H. town came together to repair a senior citizen’s greenhouse after it was damaged in a storm – The Boston Globe
“She’s a beautiful old lady,” said Kevin Parker, 70. “We just wanted to help her.”
Parker, who also lives in Fitzwilliam, was one of the neighbors who joined the team to help repair the greenhouse. He said work got underway a few weeks ago, after he and another neighbor, Todd Reed, had assembled a team.
“It became like a barn raising thing for a couple of days,” Parker said. The repairs took about 15 hours, according to Parker, who has been spending summers in Fitzwilliam for as long as he can remember. Twenty-five years ago, he became a full-time resident.
Parker, who is a retired general contractor turned vegetable farmer, said Bullock is beloved in town, and when it became clear that she needed help, people were willing to volunteer.
“She’s been struggling,” he said. “The thing got ripped a couple of years ago. Rolls of replacement have been there since the fall, but no one got the ball going to help her.”
That changed this spring, when her longtime neighbor Todd Reed, 60, led the repair effort.
When Reed moved to Fitzwilliam in 1986, Bullock and her husband were the first people he met. Her husband passed away in 2017, but Bullock has kept the farm stand going on her own.
“She’s just one of the nicest, sweetest ladies you ever want to meet,” said Reed, who was happy to work on the repairs after Bullock called him and asked for help. He has an auto body repair shop and raises honey bees.
Reed said the team stripped rotten wood off the frame of the greenhouse and cut two pieces of 40-foot plastic to drape over the frame. They also installed ventilation and a double-layer of plastic that can be filled with air in the winter to provide extra warmth.
Some people were there for their knowledge, while others were just needed to hold the huge piece of plastic, according to Reed.
“You’ve got to realize unrolling a piece of plastic that size, if you get any wind at all, it makes a pretty big kite,” he said. “You need people just to hold down the corners. They don’t necessarily need to know what they’re doing, they just need to be a body holding a corner.”
Thanks to his recruitment, he said there plenty of bodies: around eight to 10 people were there to help, which was enough to avoid the kite scenario.
Reed said the repair should last for about three to five years before it needs to get done again.
Bullock has already filled the greenhouse with annual flowers that she can sell this year.
“I’m really happy to have this,” Bullock said. She said the money from the farm stand helps her pay to heat her house in the winter.
Bullock said she started the farm stand about 40 years ago. “We grew more than we could eat and neighbors kept coming by looking for stuff,” she said.
Now, she said the ears of corn have become a favorite among her customers.
“Fitzwilliam is split politically but all the residents love the loons on Laurel Lake and Mrs. Bullock’s corn,” said Barbara Schecter, a longtime summer resident of Fitzwilliam.
Residents said in the town of about 2,400, it’s typical for neighbors look out for each other.
“I’ve been helped through times, too,” Parker said. “It is a place where money’s not the first issue.”
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
CONCORD, NH — Concord police are asking for the public’s help finding perps who have been stealing Kias and Hyundais around the capital city during the past two weeks or so.
On Wednesday, the Concord Regional Crimeline issued an alert about the stolen vehicle cases — eight in all, asking for tips.
“The thefts are occurring during the overnight hours, specifically in the Heights and Penacook sections of the city,” Sgt. Ben Mitchell of the Concord Police Department said.
Find out what’s happening in Concordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Mitchell and police advise residents to lock their vehicles and remain vigilant when safeguarding their property. Residents should also be aware of content circulating on social media showing others how to steal Kias and Hyundais.
Anyone who has information relative to any criminal incident is asked to call the Concord Regional Crimeline at 603-226-3100, or submit information online to the website at concordregionalcrimeline.com, or Txt TIP234 and their message to CRIMES (274637). Crimeline awards cash to anyone whose information leads to the arrest and indictment of criminals. All tips remain anonymous.
Find out what’s happening in Concordwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Do you have a news tip? Please email it to tony.schinella@patch.com. View videos on Tony Schinella’s YouTube.com channel or Rumble.com channel. Follow the NH politics Twitter account @NHPatchPolitics for all our campaign coverage.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.
Supreme Court rejects Idaho's appeal — for now — to ban abortions in medical emergencies
The desperate hours: a pro baseball pitcher's fentanyl overdose
Commentary: Copa América loss to Venezuela is a new low for Mexico's national team
US Supreme Court rejects Sackler liability releases in Purdue bankruptcy
Bolivia foils coup attempt: All you need to know
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
At least 2 dead as tornadoes hit Alabama, damage homes across Southeast
Bolivia foils coup attempt: All you need to know
CAUGHT ON CAM: Massive sinkhole swallows part of soccer field
Toplines: June 2024 Times/Siena Poll of Registered Voters Nationwide
Biden, Trump face off at CNN Presidential Debate which may 'change the narrative in a massive way'
What do EU capitals think about the French elections?
-
Movie Reviews1 week agoFancy Dance (2024) – Movie Review
-
News1 week agoRead the Ruling by the Virginia Court of Appeals
-
Politics1 week agoJohn Kerry used government email alias as secretary of state, whistleblowers say
-
News1 week agoNYC pastor is sentenced to 9 years for fraud, including taking a single mom's $90,000
-
Politics1 week agoTrump targets House Freedom Caucus chair in intra-party Republican primary feud
-
News6 days agoTracking a Single Day at the National Domestic Violence Hotline
-
World1 week agoWorld's largest arms expo in Paris marred by ongoing conflicts
-
News1 week agoGeorge Strait sets a new record for the largest ticketed concert in U.S. history