In our depressing modern culture of instant gratification, it’s good to receive an unexpected reminder of the benefits of living a simple life.
This reminder comes from the small town of Hinsdale, New Hampshire, from the unexpected person of the local trailer park caretaker.
Before Geoffrey Holt died in June at the age of 82, he was just another old man on a lawnmower, taking care of the trailer park he called home without drawing too much attention to himself.
What his fellow townsfolk didn’t know was that Holt was a shrewd investor who carefully managed his money, amassing a fortune of $3.8 million — which he left to his entire hometown, according to the Brattleboro Reformer.
For Hinsdale, the revelation came as a complete shock. Despite Holt’s incredible wealth, he never changed his simple lifestyle.
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“People really didn’t know who he was. I mean, I didn’t even know what his name was,” the town administrator, Kathryn Lynch, told The New York Times.
Even his close friend, Edwin “Smokey” Smith, had no idea the extent of Holt’s wealth until Holt approached him in 2000 asking what he should do with his wealth, according to CNBC.
Holt and Smith had known each other since the 1970s. Holt did many odd jobs for Smith, and Smith gave him a place to live on his 25-acre plot of land.
Would you leave your town any money?
Yes: 9% (3 Votes)
No: 91% (30 Votes)
It was Smith who recommended that Holt, who had little surviving family and no children, use his money for the people of Hinsdale. Based on that advice, Holt decided to leave the entirety of his $3.8 million fortune to the care of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, to be given to his hometown of Hinsdale.
The charity will make grants “to honor Mr. Holt’s wishes: support projects, programs and organizations that provide health, educational, recreational or cultural benefits to the residents of Hinsdale,” a representative told CNBC.
Trailer park caretaker surprises his hometown with a gift of $3.8 million, years after another secret millionaire did the same nearby https://t.co/L5Ur7SOhc4
— CNBC Make It (@CNBCMakeIt) December 2, 2023
From the testimonies of Holt’s friends and townsfolk, an interesting trend emerges. According to everyone who knew him, Holt’s wealth never changed him. As Smith told the Times, “I guess you really didn’t know whether he had money or not because he never bragged about anything.”
Holt’s lifestyle and spending habits remained unchanged from the moment he moved to Hinsdale to the moment he died.
He easily could have blown all his wealth on himself, but he didn’t.
Not only did Holt refrain from spending it all on himself, he spent essentially none of it on himself. He lived in the same frugal way he had always done and saved the money till his last breath in order to benefit the people with whom he lived for most of his life.
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After becoming numb to the performative activism of celebrities and CEOs who chastise us for using fossil fuels while they use private jets to go to the grocery store, the simplicity and generosity of Geoffrey Holt’s life is not just refreshing but reassuring.
They demonstrate that despite the demoralizing culture of instant gratification all around us, there are still people living lives of true self-denial and altruism.
They demonstrate that despite what leftist activists and our liberal overlords want us to believe about “social justice,” one selfless individual can make more of a difference than a fleet of government programs.
An especially apt example as we approach the Christmas season, Geoffrey Holt’s life demonstrates just how rewarding a simple, humble life can be.
