It must have been a pleasant surprise for the French village of Maidières, near Nancy. After her death in 2018, a 96-year-old resident of the hamlet left 1 million euros to the village. This amount was paid last month. In return, she had one wish: that her grave be regularly maintained.
In 2018, former teacher Marcelle Verelle passed away at the age of 96. For years she lived in the village, but her fellow villagers had no idea that she had so much money, they tell a regional news medium.
Since the woman did not have any heirs, she decided to donate her fortune, consisting of her house and her savings, worth one million euros, to Maidières. “It’s the first time this has happened to us, but I hope it won’t be the last,” said mayor Gérard Boyé. Quest. Because the municipality of Maidières, with only 1500 inhabitants, has a budget of 950,000 euros per year, the donation is a financial windfall.
Stunned and moved
At the end of last month, the amount was transferred to the municipality’s account. The mayor had known about the donation for some time. “I am still moved. I have no words to describe this act of generosity. When the notary told us the amount, I and my assistants immediately asked if the decimal point had been placed correctly. We were stunned.”
In exchange for the gift, the former teacher had only one wish: that her grave be regularly maintained. A condition that the municipality will of course respect, the mayor reports. How the money will be used? “This amount opens up a lot of possibilities for us. We can renovate some municipal buildings, such as the town hall and the village hall,” says Mayor Boyé.
One thing is certain for the mayor: he wants to honor Marcelle Verelle. “We’re going to name a street or a municipal building after her to say thank you.”
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