Desmond Schollum is remembered by loved ones as a frugal man bringing only a packet of marshmallows to Christmas. 

So, it came as a surprise to his family when they discovered he had left almost $4 million to health services across Auckland after he died aged 79 from undiagnosed oesophageal cancer. 

Dame Claudia Orange, who was a cousin of Schollum, said his neighbour would often pop into his modest Sandringham abode to check he had enough food in the house as he was known to rarely shop for himself. 

"I was astounded. I hadn't realised that he had kept saving so much money himself. Of course, the value of his money was boosted by the sale of house," Orange said. 

Born in 1941, during World War II, Schollum was an only child who lived under his parents' roof on Kiwitea Street until the day he died. He never married, nor did he have any children. 

At home, he cared for his mum, Frances, until she died aged 92, in 2002, and his father, Joseph - the oldest of 22 children - who died four years later, aged 98. 

Desmond Schollum as a young boy. 

Dr Virginia Farnsworth-Grodd, also Schollum's cousin, said he used the services of Auckland City Hospital and particularly the renal clinic extensively as he cared for his parents. 

"He found them very helpful and felt health services needed support," Farnsworth-Grodd said. 

The "creature of habit" was a descendant of German-speaking emigrants near Pilsen (now Czech Republic), who migrated to New Zealand in 1863 and 1874 and settled in Pūhoi, north of Auckland. 

"Local Māori provided them support with shelter and food when the emigrants first stepped onto the banks of the river at Pūhoi," Orange said. 

The historian said she remembers Schollum's parents living very cautiously and it seemed he adopted their habits, "not spending much and saving a lot". 

She said as a child, Schollum wasn't very exciting to play with as she liked racing around and he didn't. 

Desmond Schollum (right) was an only child who lived with his parents, Frances and Joseph Schollum, in Kiwitea St, Sandringham all his life. 

"He was a bit of a loner who kept to himself a lot. 

"Consequently, we didn't get on marvellously and that's probably why we gradually lost contact with each other," Orange said. 

In fact, the last question Orange asked her late cousin, nearly a year before he died, was whether he had someone nearby that he could go to if he got into any trouble. 

"He seemed very pleased with a Samoan woman who lived next door who he most closely related to," Orange said. 

Schollum only had one job in his lifetime. In 1956, he joined the Auckland Star, aged 15, to complete his apprenticeship in hand typology setting. Back then, letters had to be laid out by hand before they were punched onto paper with a typewriter. 

"When he was told he had to become proficient in touch-typing, Des retired in December 1987," Farnsworth-Grodd said. 

But that didn't stop him from being curious about modern day living. Farnsworth-Grodd said he enjoyed watching television shows like Home and Away. 

Other fascinations included music - he would make lists of his favourite CDs, one being The Happy Wanderer by The Obernkirchen Children's Choir - and photographing the local community. 

"If there was a local house fire or a building being demolished, Des would be there," Farnsworth-Grodd said. 

While he was frugal most of his life, Desmond Schollum leaves a generous legacy. 

Nothing, however, compared to his love for the weather. 

"He installed a weather station in his backyard with state of the art temperature gauge equipment and each day, without fail, he measured and recorded the changing patterns of temperature, rain and humidity," she said. 

Farnsworth-Grodd said it was because of his weather notebook that she was able to help the Coroner determine when Schollum died - on September 12, 2020. 

His death was discovered after he failed to answer a phone call from Auckland City Hospital, intended to inform him he had cancer. 

Unfortunately, by then, it was too late. 

No one knew how long Schollum had been sick but he wished to show his appreciation to St John ambulance service, Auckland City Hospital (ACH), Mercy Hospice and Auckland's Cancer Society by gifting them each $896,000. 

As Auckland City Hospital's charity, the Auckland Health Foundation has been fundraising for the whānau room refurbishments, and Schollum's donation is the largest received for the project. 

Auckland Health Foundation Director Candy Schroder said previous donations have allowed for seven whānau rooms to be refurbished, but the goal has always been to raise the full $1.2 million required to complete the project. 

"Desmond's gift will make a profound difference for so many families for years to come. Whānau rooms are a place for familiesto gather and rest during often challenging circumstances, as Paul's family discovered." 

The money means people like Paul Harvey, who stayed at Auckland City Hospital for a month after a severe stroke in July 2018, have a home away from home. 

"It's really important for family who are going through a really difficult time to be able to go somewhere which is welcoming to make a cup of tea or whatever and just feel more relaxed," Harvey said. 

While he was frugal most of his life, Schollum leaves a generous legacy. 

"Migrants can do astonishing things, even several generations down as Des was," Orange said.