( CNN ) Before Ronald Read died last summer , he was , on several occasions , the recipient of another person 's generosity . One woman , worried that the same tattered baseball cap he often wore would n't be enough to keep him warm in the Vermont winter , knitted him a hat , Read 's attorney Laurie Rowell told CNN . His khaki denim jacket was held together with a safety pin and his flannel shirt was so old , someone once paid for his breakfast at Friendly 's . `` The man ahead of him had paid for him , '' Rowell said , `` Based on what he looked like and how he dressed . '' Perhaps that 's why the man known for his extreme frugality and scruffy appearance decided in the years before his death that he 'd do a little giving of his own . `` The estate of Robert Read made its first distributions to Brattleboro Memorial Hospital and the Brooks Library in the amounts of $ 4.8 million and $ 1.2 million , '' Read 's attorney said in a press release . Read frequented the coffee shop at the hospital for breakfast , Gina Pattison , with Brattleboro Memorial Hospital , told CNN affiliate WCAX . Pattison called Read `` a very unassuming man . '' `` To find out that he had left this money to the hospital was a great surprise , '' Pattison said . The president of the Board of Trustees for the Brooks Memorial Library said in a release he was delighted by the news and said Read 's donation was the largest bequest since that of George J. Brooks in 1886 . Read was in the Army during World War II before working as a mechanic with his brother for many years . After the garage was sold , Read could have taken some time to relax , but `` he did n't take to retirement very well , '' Rowell said . Read eventually went to work as a part-time janitor at J.C. Penney . He finally retired in 1997 . Though his jobs never yielded large salaries , Read enjoyed investing in the stock market , always putting his money into `` dividend producing stocks , '' Rowell said . He lived modestly , hating to spend money or see anything go to waste , a release from Rowell 's law firm said . `` He would n't even park close to my office because he did n't want to pay for parking , '' she said . When her client died last June and she went to retrieve the appropriate estate documents from Read 's safety deposit box , she realized just how frugal he was . `` The box was completely packed tight with stock certificates , '' she said . When the banker hit the final total , they all stood in shock : Read was worth more than $ 8 million . Besides his frugality , Rowell described Read as a quintessential `` Vermonter . '' He was softspoken , but had a great sense of humor . He was also a very private man . `` He 'd be shocked to have this much exposure , '' Rowell said . In addition to his charitable donations , Read also gave a portion of his fortune to a couple of stepchildren and friends .
Read known for extreme frugality makes generous donations to local charities , Dr . Robert Read served in Army and worked as a mechanic in Detroit . Was worth millions upon his death last summer .