‘Aunt Bee’ of the Andy Griffith Show Left 100K for Small Town Police

Frances Bavier, the actress who played Aunt Bee in the classis Andy Griffith Show, appeared to be highly appreciative of her local police department. Bavier lived in Siler City, North Carolina in her later years solo with an astounding 14 cats. She passed away at the age of 86 in 1989 and her will specified that $100,000 go toward a trust fund for the police. The principal of the trust fund is kept at $100,000, while the interest is divided among the police staff of around 20 every year for a Christmas bonus around December 15.

Floyd Bowers, who worked at an Exxon station in the town, told the press in 2004 that Bavier “liked her privacy, and she was hard to please. My wife worked at the hospital, and she was what the nurses call a hard patient.” Though she may have been difficult to deal with, locals believe that it was a nice last gesture by the woman.

See Amy Lieu, Frances ‘Aunt Bee’ Bavier of the Andy Griffith Show Left 100g for Police in Small Town of North Carolina Report, Fox News, January 11, 2019.