A Cincinnati local, Barbara Ebel, a former teacher, and AT&T retiree, passed away a few years ago. After her death, three local non-profits she was volunteering at were notified that she was donating some money to them.
But it wasn’t until four years later that they realized just how impressive the amounts they were receiving from her were.
Initially, Barbara’s brother, Charles Ebel, reached the organizations and let them know that they would be receiving an amount of some thousand dollars each.
“The initial gift in the hundreds of thousands of dollars still blew us all away. But Charlie kept indicating there were other assets tied up and there was more to come,” Amy Cheney, the CEO of Crayons to Computers, where Ebel was a volunteer, told WCPO. “We just could have never dreamed it was such a large amount.”
But the money just kept coming, and people Ebel worked with or for just couldn’t believe how generous she was to them even after passing away.
When they realized that she had left more than a million to each non-profit, they were shocked.
“I think I laughed. I thought, ‘Barb!’ I didn’t know she had that wherewithal,” said David Conzett, the Museum Center’s long-time curator of historical objects and fine art, who Ebel had worked along for 17 years.
But, although Barbara Ebel was obviously a millionaire, she never tried to look like one. On the contrary, she tried to be as understated as possible.
She lived in a one-story brick house, which was the one she grew up in, while she never wore designer clothes or even jewelry.
“Barb kept it simple,” said Sarah Westrich, Crayons to Computers volunteer coordinator when Ebel volunteered there. “Nothing flashy. We always could count on her to celebrate the holiday season with a fun or funky pin or bright-colored socks. But other than that, she was really just an understated person.”
After her retirement, the woman worked as a volunteer for three local non-profits: Crayons to Computers, Cincinnati Museum Center, and CET.
In all of these places, only a few people knew her, since she was quite shy and she never tried to draw the others’ attention.
As other volunteers say, she had been volunteering at the Museum Center for 17 years and there were still people in there who asked who she was when they happened to bump into her.
But, even though Ebel was private, she was a good friend. She also had a remarkable sense of humor and the people around her had a good time when they were with her.
She also loved to travel. She had been all around the world- she had even been to Antarctica.
But, after some falls, her health started to decline, but she didn’t like to share her health issues with anyone, and she wouldn’t ask for help.
However, she generously offered help to the three organizations she cared about the most when she left the three million to them.
What an amazing story of generosity and humbleness.
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