Alan Naiman was a frugal social worker from Seattle, Washington who oftentimes patched his shoes with duct tape, wore apparel he bought at grocery stores, and ate only at fast food restaurants.  Alan’s friends had no idea that during his lifetime, he was quietly amassing a massive fortune that he would go on to leave to charity after his death at 63.

After passing away from cancer, Alan shocked everyone by leaving much of his $11 million fortune to children’s charities. Alan was not married and he did not have children, though he always had a soft spot for needy and disabled children. His friends believe that growing up with an older disabled brother, who passed away in 2013, impacted Alan’s immense compassion for the disabled.

“Growing up as a kid with an older, disabled brother kind of colored the way he looked at things,” said Alan’s close friend Susan Madsen.

Alan once worked as a banker, but he spent the last twenty years working at the state Department of Social and Health Services, handling after-hours calls. This job earned him $67,234, and he worked multiple side jobs as well to add to his fortune.

Shashi Karan, a friend of Alan’s, said that he made much of his money off smart investments and that he also inherited millions from his parents. It was only after Alan died that Shashi realized how little he really knew about him.

“I don’t know if he was lonely. I think he was a loner,” Shashi said.

Alan donated $2.5 million of his fortune to the Pediatric Interim Care Center, a private organization in Washington state that cares for babies born to mothers who abused drugs and helps the children wean off their dependence.

“We would never dream that something like this would happen to us. I wish very much that I could have met him. I would have loved to have had him see the babies he’s protecting,” said Barbara Deneen, the founder of the organization.

He also donated $900,000 to the Treehouse foster care organization.

“The frugality that he lived through, that he committed to in his life, was for this,” said Jessica Ross, Treehouse’s chief development officer. “It’s really a gift to all of us to see that pure demonstration of philanthropy and love.”