From Duct-Taped Shoes to $11M: Man Leaves Surprise Donations

In this 2013 photo provided by Susan E. Madsen, Alan Naiman poses for a photo at his work at Children's Administration (DSHS) Child Protective Services, in Seattle. When Naiman, a Washington state social worker, died this year of cancer at the age of 63, the generous loner left most of his surprise estate worth $11 million to children's charities helping the poor, sick, disabled, abandoned and those otherwise stuck in foster care, unbeknownst to those beneficiaries or his own loved ones. Susan E. Madsen via AP

SEATTLE—Alan Naiman was known for an unabashed thriftiness that veered into comical, but even those closest to him had no inkling of the fortune that he quietly amassed and the last act that he had long planned.

The Washington state social worker died of cancer this year at age 63, leaving most of a surprising $11 million estate to children’s charities that help the poor, sick, disabled and abandoned. The amount baffled the beneficiaries and his best friends, who are lauding Naiman as the anniversary of his death approaches in January.