The Teddy Bear Lady

Gladys Holm was a secretary. She worked in an office all her life. Gladys earned about $15,000 a year. She died when she was 86 years old. And she left a big surprise -- $18 million! She gave the money to a children’s hospital.

Gladys Holm never got married or had any children. But she always liked children, and she wanted to help them. When her friend’s daughter was sick in the hospital, Gladys brought her a teddy bear. After that, she visited the hospital many times. Every time she visited, she brought teddy bears for the sick children. After a while, people started to call Gladys the “Teddy Bear Lady.”

Gladys always gave toys and gifts to her friends and family, but no one knew she had a lot of money. She lived in a small house outside of Chicago. Everyone was very surprised when they learned she was a millionaire. A family friend said, “She always gave us nice gifts and things, but we didn’t know she was rich.”

How did Gladys get so much money? She asked her boss how to invest her money, and she listened to his advice. She bought the stocks that he told her to buy, and she got very rich. Before she died, she talked to her friends about “giving something to the children’s hospital.” No one knew that the “something” was $18 million!