Big Hearted-Pensioner And Secret Millionaire Leaves His Life’s Savings To Charity

Some of us are born rich, some of us die rich, but not many of us are secret millionaires who live modest lives in £70,000 council homes.

More to the point, not many of us leave vast fortunes to charities when we finally shuffle off this mortal coil.

Iain Russell was such a man. The 76-year-old who spent 40 years in the Merchant Navy was a very rich man, he was also a very generous man, unfortunately it took Iain’s death in October last year for people to realise just how rich and generous he really was.

Over the course of four decades, Iain squirreled away part of the wages he received when in the Merchant Navy, until he had built up a huge £1.2million fortune.

The modest pensioner lived with his wife, Irene, in Lanarkshire. Irene passed away two years ago and Iain joined her last October after suffering a brain hemorrhage.

In his wake, Iain left a will that, to put it mildly, came as a complete shock to everyone.

Friends and family couldn’t believe that the Iain they had known and loved was actually a secret millionaire.

The man who neighbors told the Daily Mail was “a very quiet man who kept himself to himself,” had at the time of his death, £550,000 in bank accounts, £450,000 in cash and stocks and a further £144,000 in a bank on the Isle of Man.

Friends and family who have insisted they have had no idea what Iain was actually worth, were left with £62,000, but the rest was split between four charities.

Diabetes Scotland, MacKenzie Fund for Heart Cardiology, the Guild of Benevolence of the Institute of Marine Engineering and the Royal National Institute for the Blind(RNIB) will all receive an equal part of Iain’s secret wealth.

Fellow Merchant Navy seaman Thomas Macdonald, 72, who knew Iain well explained:

“He joined the Merchant Navy in the 1970s and became chief engineer. He stayed in the Navy for 40 years.
“I was totally surprised at the amount Iain left. We were like brothers, probably even closer, and we used to discuss finances and what we would do with any money we had.
“I knew his uncle had died and left him some money and shares but I’ve no idea how much. I’m quite sure Iain was unaware, I don’t think he ever knew what was there.”