I think reporter, neighbor missed the point

A life lesson? or just a curmudgeonly Scrooge? I could see this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story either way.

Irv Terchak was tight with his money, but I think one of his irritated neighbors may have missed the point. And it seems to have gone over the head of the writer, too.

"... Terchak lived frugally. He traveled some but kept a tight hold on his wallet. That predilection irritated his neighbors, who tried to help him early on but later distanced themselves.

"Nancy and Richard Hanley, who lived across the street, joined the ranks of the disenchanted after Terchak borrowed their light timer before one of his trips to California.

"'When he came back, he said, "I bought you something," Nancy Hanley said.

"'He brought me a seed from an avocado,' she said, still dumbfounded by the gesture. 'He said, "You can plant it, and it will grow."'"

Terchak, who recently died at 85, is in the news because he shocked his neighbors and everyone by leaving $1.3 million to the Milwaukee County Library system. Seems he was such a tightwad because he had planted some seeds and was letting them grow.

I can understand why the lady may have been confused at the time - but after this revelation, it's a shame that she is "still dumbfounded by the gesture."