Teacher who died in 2018 leaves $470K estate to high school where she taught

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One teacher taught students a major lesson about paying it forward.

Patricia "Patty" McCandless, a former English teacher at Ohio’s Springboro High School, donated nearly $500K to Springboro High School.  (ScottMarshall/SpringboroSchools)

Patricia "Patty" McCandless was an English teacher at Ohio’s Springboro High School (formerly Clearcreek High School), from 1961 to 1968. McCandless died in 2018. 

Now, years later, it was discovered that her fortune totaling $471,644 was left to the high school, a representative for the school confirmed to FOX News. 

Patricia "Patty" McCandless. (Courtesy of Springboro Schools )

"If you need an example of paying it forward this is about as good as it gets," Scott Marshall, district communications coordinator for Springboro Schools, told FOX News, adding, "This kind of donation is unprecedented and it's unlike anything we’ve ever seen before." 

Patricia "Patty" McCandless, a former English teacher at Ohio’s Springboro High School (formerly called Clearcreek High School) from 1961 to 1968 passed away in 2018, now, years later, it was discovered that her fortune totaling $471,644 was left to the high school. (Franklin City Schools)

The random act of kindness initially stumped Marshall and his team, until they traced back McCandless’ connection to the school. 

McCandless was hired by the school’s former superintendent, Ray Perez, in 1961 after he served as McCandless' 6th grade teacher and mentor, Marshall said. Perez ultimately helped McCandless open the door for her career in education. 

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"I spoke with Patty's best friend and she said she [Patty] was an extremely kind person. She was very dedicated, very driven and someone who really had an impact on people she came into contact with. We were her first job out of college," Marshall said, of McCandless teaching at Springboro. 

McCandless went on to receive her BS in Education from Miami University and earned her master's in library sciences at Indiana University. McCandless was also a member of the "Future Teachers of America" (FTA) club that Perez was an advisor on, Marshall said. 

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The funding, Marshall said, will be used for scholarships and other student initiatives that are still being determined. The hope is to also establish a memorial for McCandless to honor her memory and generosity, Marshall said.