There Once Was a Man Who Saved…

What does this tell you?  That nothing is impossible with God?  That it is possible to save money for something that you never thought you could?  That if America was populated by people like the one you are about to read about, the economy might not fail?  What America needs is another population of heroes…

Cleaning out some old paperwork today, I came upon a news story that I had saved from about 3 years ago.  It was just the sort of story that once told, quietly slips away into obscurity, never to be thought of again, and I thought I would trot it out one more time before relegating it to the trash bin.
 
The article was written by a Susan Gallagher, from Great Falls, Montana, about a 102 year old resident of that town who had passed away in October of 2004.  Genesio Morlacci he was called, and he was a “man who operated a dry-cleaning shop and later worked as a part-time janitor in retirement.”  Mr. Morlacci was a widower with no children.  So what did he do that I thought warranted saving this little article?  Upon his death, he bequeathed $2.3 million dollars of his very, very, hard earned money to the University of Great Falls, a Roman Catholic school of about 800 students.  He wanted to “help others obtain the formal education he never had.”
 
“He gave the college nearly all he saved through work, investments and old-fashioned thrift – he was known to remove worn collars from his shirts, then sew them back on, with the frayed side down.”  He worked ” 18 and 20 hour days, and during each of those working hours he was doing something good for a student he will never meet.”  Imagine amassing that much wealth as a drycleaner and janitor?  His attorney said “he was a fellow who felt that if you didn’t need it, you shouldn’t buy it.”  I find myself wondering if the Lord is keeping track of the amount of money I’ve spent on nonsense in my life.  Will He show me the total on my last day?  Reflecting on Mr. Morlacci’s simple life, I realize I have a lot of reflecting to do on my own.
 
It would be great if everyone who reads this says a Hail Mary for Mr. Genesio Morlacci of Great Falls, Montana, and his wife’s souls, may they rest in peace.  And may they pray that for us to learn to be more frugal, and waste less of the treasure that the Lord has placed into our keeping. 

Sacrificing all that, so others could have the education he couldn’t.