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mausoleum

Leona Helmsley Leaves $12M to Her Dog

Filed under: Pets, Charity

Some may refer to Leona Helmsley as the 'Queen of Mean', but I think her dog would disagree. Helmsley died last week at the age of 87 and on Tuesday her will was made public. In it, she provided quite nicely for her dog Trouble, creating a $12 million trust to ensure that the Maltese lives out the rest of her life in the luxury she is no doubt accustomed to. The trust will be overseen by her brother, Alvin Rosenthal, to whom she left $10 million. When Trouble's days on earth are over, she is to be buried next to her mistress in the $1.4 million mausoleum in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Westchester County, New York. Talk about a pampered pooch.

She was less generous to her late son Jay Panzirer's children, cutting Craig and Meegan Panzire out completely for "reasons which are known to them" and leaving a relatively paltry $5 million each to David and Walter Panzirer. But even that generosity comes with a catch. In order to receive the money, David and Walter must visit their father's grave once a year, "preferably on the anniversary of my said son's death." In order to ensure they abide by that stipulation, she has ordered a guest book installed at the Helmsley Mausoleum.

Lest you think she's all bad, it is important to note that she did leave billions to various unnamed charities.

Leona Helmsley's $1.4 Million Eternal Resting Place

Filed under: Estates

You may not be able to take it with you when you die, but you can sure spend a lot of it getting there. Leona Helmsley, who died this week in Connecticut, will be buried alongside her late husband, Harry, in a $1.4 million mausoleum in the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Westchester County, New York.

Although Harry died in 1997, he is somewhat new to the Sleepy Hollow neighborhood. Three years ago, Leona became dissatisfied with Harry's original resting place at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx when a public mausoleum was constructed, blocking Harry's view. She then did what any self-respecting billionaire would do - she built a new mausoleum and moved Harry into it. The 1,300 square foot granite monument features Doric columns and a recreation of the Manhattan skyline in its stained-glass windows. Oh, and a great view.

Atlantis Reef Project

Filed under: Water

Not quite sure what to file this under, but I find it terribly interesting nonetheless. If you are looking for that special place that you would like to spend the rest of eternity, why not try the Atlantis Reef Project. Built off the coast of Key Biscayne, Florida, this development is designed as an underwater sanctuary and coral garden in the image of the lost civilization of Atlantis. Eventually, the project will be the largest man-made reef in the world and be a great place to dive and experience the underwater world. Perhaps most interesting is the fact that you can chose to have your cremated remains deposited in an underwater mausoleum. I'm not sure if the family would come to an underwater wake...Hmmm.


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