Mary Elinor Baumgart Sauerwein (January 10, 1914 - October 30, 2010) was an American philanthropist who was known for living a frugal life yet was able to leave a check for $1,731,533.91 from her estate to a California branch of the

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

after her death. Taught by her mother to avoid wasting anything, she never purchased a dryer, painted her own home, mowed her own lawn, refused to go to restaurants or movies, grew her own fruits and vegetables in her meager backyard, and refused to pay for cable TV until the age of 95. She previously worked as a teacher. After graduating from college, she taught in a one-room schoolhouse in

Crookston, Nebraska Crookston is a village in Cherry County, Nebraska, Cherry County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 69 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. History Crookston got its start in the year 1885, following construction of the railro ...

, traveling to work on horseback. In 1945, she married her husband Harold and settling in

Modesto, California Modesto ( ; ) is the county seat and largest city of Stanislaus County, California, United States. With a population of 218,069 according to 2022 United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau estimates, it is the List of cities and towns in Ca ...

, where she cooked for ranch hands and later worked at LM Morris business machines. Harold Sauerwein was a building contractor and built their two-bedroom home. He died in 1994.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sauerwein, Mary Elinor 1914 births 2010 deaths People from Modesto, California 20th-century American philanthropists