Cornershot: A life of generosity

I had 69 years with my father, and I was certain I knew all there was to know of my dad. But I was wrong, so very wrong.

My eldest brother, delivering my father’s eulogy, said that he penny pinched by shopping in bargain stores to save money. My brother, the person who did his taxes for the past fifteen years, explained that my father gave between 30% and 70% of his income to charity every year. His donations were to poor, sick children. So every dollar he saved was a dollar more that he could send to the children. That, my friends, is something I never knew.

For many years prior to my father’s passing, he had this eccentric habit of buying the bulk of his food at the Dollar Tree store. He would rave about the bargains, grouse about the crowded aisles and complain about the help, but go back every day to buy more food. Not understanding this routine, I would tell him that he clearly had the money to shop elsewhere, anywhere, so why was he shopping there? He told me in no uncertain terms that there were bargains to be had there and that was that. He was a child of the Depression, so I assumed that was his rationale. Little did I know of his true motives.

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My father’s generosity to those he loved knew no bounds, as well. Each of his children has stories of people in their inner circle he silently helped with no expectations of return. He was always amazed that someone with such hardscrabble beginnings could one day be so comfortable. He often became emotional just speaking about his little nest egg — that nest egg he couldn’t give away fast enough.

And so I left that church with a new mindset. Let’s call it the Bill Kort mantra shall we? Charity always begins at home and that is non-negotiable; and the poor and sick should never, ever be forgotten. So to his legacy of kindness, compassion, hard work and discipline we can add boundless generosity. A tough act to follow indeed, but I can’t imagine a better act to follow.

— Loni Bier, a reader in Daleville

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