Shirley Rager Hines was compared to Aunt Bee from "The Andy Griffith Show," according to Suzy Wamsley, a legal secretary for the law office handling the woman's trust fund. Hines and her husband, Wayne, set up trust funds in 2001, the newspaper reported.
Shirley Hines died 17 days shy of her 80th birthday in Logansport on June 4, 2010. Her trust remained in place until Wayne Hines died last year, the Pharos-Tribune reported. The woman's money then was released to the Cass County Humane Society.
"It definitely was her passion. Shirley loved animals," Sharon Collins, Hines' niece, told WTHR. "Mainly her choice was cats and dogs."
"She treated ‘em like her own children," another niece, Jo Hines, told the television station.
"Mr. and Mrs. Hines were special people who had a deep fondness and concern for the welfare of animals," Suzanne Chilcott, who set up the trust, told the Pharos-Tribune in an email. "Shirley's very generous gift will help provide for the continuing care of Cass County's needy cats and dogs for a very long time, which would please her immensely."
Lisa Clark, executive director of the humane society, told the newspaper that the money will be used for a spay-and-neuter program for the humane society’s animal shelter.
"We were just so thrilled and right away suggested the neuter program and everybody was in agreement because of the strays in Cass County," Clark told the Pharos-Tribune. "We're always full and never have enough money to do that."
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