Eleanor Boyer was a retired buyer of chemicals and office supplies when she won a lump sum of $11.8 million in the New Jersey lottery. She never had a moments doubt about what to do with the money. She gave it away; about half of it to the parish she worshiped in all her life, and the rest to the town rescue squad (erasing its deficit), the volunteer fire department and some of the other groups that serve the town she grew up in.
No new car, no vacation, she said. My life is no different. Ive given it up to God. I live in Gods presence and do Gods will, and I did that from the start.
In an age when people are so driven by material forces, said Ron Czajowski, who was a vice president of the New Jersey Hospital Association, the idea of somebody turning over all that sum of money to the community and to the church is inspiring. It kind of makes you step back and think what our priorities are.
Msgr. J. Kennedy, pastor of Ms. Boyer's church, said the church had invested some of her gift as an endowment and was buying a new pipe organ. I suggested to Eleanor that the organ could be from her, in memory of her parents, and she went along with that, he said. He said he did not know if she had bought another car to replace the 1968 Chevrolet Malibu she owned when she hit the jackpot. But if she did, he said, she probably bought a used one.
Ms. Boyer, who was never married and whose closest living relatives are three nephews, said the church is her true home. She taught catechism classes, worked at the church office for ten years and helped count the collection money.