Nobody had any idea that it léguerait$ 1 Million to a hospital

Marie-Eve Dumont

Saturday, 13 January, 2018 01:00

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Saturday, 13 January, 2018 01:00

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Every day for the last 20 years of his life, Robert Langevin, took his coffee at the same restaurant to talk about hockey. Nobody had any idea that it léguerait nearly a million dollars to a hospital.

The man who died in 2016 at the age of 71 years old has lived all his life in the same duplex in Rosemont, in Montreal.

Photo Marie-Ève Dumont

This would be the most recent photo of Robert Langevin, taken in 2014 at the restaurant Planet Egg by the owner Stravros Ikonomou.

Mr. Langevin loved the simple things like take care of her cats or going for long walks on Masson street. One of his greatest prides was his big tv, which allowed him not to miss any of the game nights of the Canadian.

“When I saw that it was nearly a million, my arms fell. Have known, I would have been forced to spend more, ” says his neighbor, Claire Langevin, in charge of the estate, which has not yet been finalised.

Photo Marie-Ève Dumont

Neighbor of Robert Langevin, Claire Langevin, in front of the duplex that was sold to benefit the Institute of cardiology.

Each year, dozens of people such as Robert Langevin give the whole or a part of their inheritance to charities upon their deaths.

Mr. Langevin has chosen to all to bequeath to the Institute of cardiology of Montreal, where he has been monitoring for three years for his heart failure. He was an only child and has never had a spouse or children.

The ” big bob “

To his family, very few people appear to have been close to the man, shy and reserved, which was nicknamed the “Big Bob” because he was 6 feet 5 inches.

There was her neighbor, Claire Langevin, which, despite its name, has no link of kinship with the deceased as well as Stravros Ikonomou, who is the owner of the restaurant Planet Egg on Masson street, where he went every day.

Photo Marie-Ève Dumont

Robert Langevin with his father.

“He was wearing the same clothes since 20 years. He drank his coffee and left a 30 cents tip. It was like that, my Bob, ” recalls the restaurateur.

Mr. Langevin, with his mild intellectual disability, has always kept a side child.

“He gave us every year of the cards that played music to our celebrations. He never grew up, it was a character like in the comic books, ” recalls Mr. Ikonomou.

Photo Martin Alarie

Stravros Ikonomou, who is the owner of the restaurant Planet Egg.

“I knew that he had the money, but I didn’t know there were so many. I told him to enjoy the time he could, but he had his own way of doing things. “

In his retirement, Mr. Langevin strolled on Masson street during the day, he took care of her four cats and had somewhat the duplex on 5th Avenue.

“He had not an ounce of malice “, emphasizes his neighbor.

The interior of his house had remained frozen in the 1950s and 1960s.

“Neither his mother nor he had renovated on the inside. There was still the red carpet on the floor, tapestry, with patterns of gold and old wood furniture “, describes it.

Mr. Ikonomou has received the famous television of his ” Bobby “, and it intends to install in his restaurant, in his memory.

“It was recognized in the restaurant, it was a little mascot of the place, but nobody ever really knew. He never spoke to anyone, it was only to greet “, adds Mr. Ikonomou.

“When he came in the evening, he supped, listened to the hockey and stayed with us until the closing. I think it was mainly to socialize, eat, this was more an excuse to see us “, he remembers.

Close to his mother

Mr. Langevin has loved animals.

“If it crossed someone who had a dog, he would stop to pet and chat with the owner,” says dr. Langevin.

Mr. Langevin grew up on 5th Avenue, with his parents, his grandmother and the sister of his father. He has lived alone the last 10 years of his life after the death of his mother.

“He was very close to his mother. His death has been a great hit, ” recalls her neighbor.

Photo Marie-Ève Dumont

Robert Langevin (center) surrounded by his mother, his father, his grand-mother (on the chair) and the sister of his father.

His father was an electrician by training, he has worked for the Canadian Pacific mills Angus in Montreal. His mother was at home.

“It was a family closely knit. His parents were playful and kind, they traveled every summer with him in the United States, either in Florida or Myrtle Beach, ” Mrs. Langevin, who was a neighbor of Mr. Langevin since 1959.

The 67 year old woman grew up in the duplex next door, but has not worked during his childhood. At the time, the schools were separated boys and girls, she says.

The people who knew him had not a lot of details about his young life.

Photo courtesy

Robert Langevin at a younger age (right).

Her neighbor believes that he has completed his secondary education before working at Union Electric until the bankruptcy of the company of electrical components at the beginning of the 1990s.

There would have been the manager of the department of luminaires. He then spent some time working for a hardware store in the rue Masson before his retirement.

Ms. Langevin took almost two years to convince Mr. Langevin to go to the notary to make his testament. He died barely a year later.

“He was able to take care of daily tasks, but the papers, all that, I’m responsible for the death of his mother. He had a great innocence. A chance he had a head of pig to not to have to, ” she said.

The duplex that he inherited, which had been bought by her family for $ 12,000 in 1951, when he was barely six years old. It was sold at his death for nearly $ 500,000. He also had investments and had received a similar amount at the death of her mother.

The gift of Mr. Langevin has been a nice and great surprise for the heart Institute, ” says Kim Bergeron, senior advisor, major gifts and planned at the Institute.

The silver of his duplex and his savings will thus scholarships for research in cardiology and pulmonology.

These scholarships will act as a lever, which will allow researchers to go apply for other grants to advance their projects, ” says Ms. Bergeron.

“He himself insisted that the Institute because it was well attended, he went to his regular tests and said he was treated well there,” said Mrs. Langevin.

Moreover, it is a cardiac arrest that took away suddenly Mr. Langevin. It is his neighbor who was found a few hours after his death, worrying about the fact that he was not answering the phone.

Mr. Ikonomou, had tears in his eyes when he spoke of his ” Bobby “. “He died the day after my birthday, I was traveling in Greece. I had invited him to come with me, but he never wanted to. He did not want to leave the rue Masson “, he says.

“It is a pity that he died alone. It was a good soul, a good man like you said. “