Genevieve Via Cava worked as a special education teacher at a school in Dumont, New Jersey for 45 years until she retired in 1990.
She was known as a down-to-Earth woman who lived a minimalistic lifestyle, clipping coupons and never taking vacations.
Genevieve had no immediately family, and she loved nothing more than working with her students.
Even after she retired, Genevieve would often visit the school to check on classes, say hi to the children, and chat with the superintendent.
After Genevieve passed away in October of 2011, school administrators were stunned to receive a check from her estate attorney.
“Estate attorney?” they thought. “We didn’t even know she had an estate!”
That's when they learned the massive secret that Genevieve had been hiding for years!
Genevieve shocked everyone by donating $1 million to the school! Starting next year, her gift will be used to give a special-education student seeking higher education a $25,000 scholarship.
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When she retired, Genevieve had actually told Superintendent Emanuele Triggiano that she would donate $1 million to the school upon her death.
“I thought it was a joke,” Triggiano said. “But then we got the paperwork.”
“She was an amazing woman who could light up a room just by walking in,” said Richard Jablonski, a close friend and executor of her will.
“She had a smile that was unbelievable. She could talk to anybody just to start conversation with them, and by the time they walked away, they would be hugging.”
It's so touching to see a teacher give such an amazing gift to the school she spent so long working at!
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