A man from Austria who was forced to flee the Nazis with his family during World War II just left millions of dollars to the small French village that helped hide him and his loved ones.

Eric Schwam was 90 years-old when he passed away last month. Prior to his death, he wrote a surprise gift into his will for Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, a commune in south-central France. Though Mayor Jean-Michel Eyraud would not confirm an exact figure, he did say that Schwam left a “large amount” to the village.

Denise Vallat, culture and communication assistant at Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, told AFP that the town was contacted about the money by a notary a few weeks ago.

“He was a very discreet gentleman and he didn’t want a lot of publicity about his gesture,” she said. “Little is known about the donor but we did some research.”

Le Chambon-sur-Lignon has a population of 2,500 people, but it has been known as a place of refuge for centuries, ever since the the French Protestant Huguenots fled there from religious persecution during the 17th Century. Even Israel has recognized the village for the extraordinary effort that was made to hide Jewish refugees there during the war.

Schwam arrived in the town in 1943 with his parents and grandmother. Prior to that, they had been held at Rivesaltes camp, a military facility in southern France used to intern civilians, before it closed down in 1942.

The Guardian reported that they were held in a school until World War II ended, and they remained in the village until 1950. Schwam would go on to study pharmacy and marry a Catholic woman from the nearby area of Lyon, where he ended up living for the rest of his life.

While the town itself has not confirmed the figure that Schwam donated, other sources have reported that he gave over two million dollars. His only request when giving the money was that it “be used for educational and youth initiatives, in particular scholarships.”

Schwam went on to do great things in life, but he clearly never forgot the tiny village that went above and beyond to help his family when they needed it.