Transcripts For FBC Stossel 20170909

Its a short distance from sioux city. Im about to meet a family thats farmed this land for generations and learn about a very strange inheritance. My name is roma lancaster. After my dad passed away, we knew that there would be a lot of things that would have to be sorted out and gone through on the farm. Romas father, dave hawkins, has deep roots in this part of iowa, going back more than a century. My fathers ancestors immigrated to the United States in late 1800s. They moved westward with the expansion of the railroad, and my grandfather, my dads father, albert hawkins, farmed just south of here, about a mile. Dave hawkins grew up hearing stories of his ancestors plowing this land behind a team of horses. As a young farmer in the 1950s, just out of school, dave spots a tractor rusting in the weeds. It sparks his imagination. The 1920 9d is the tractor that belonged to my grandfather. Thats what got my dad into the collecting again was when he restored that tractor that had originally belonged to his father. As his farm grows to over 500 acres of corn and soybeans, and his family prospers, hawkins seeks out the next vintage tractor to buy and restore. Then the next and the next, including this one, a minneapolismoline that hawkins bought, restored, and donated to the Plymouth County museum. How old would this one be . Its a 1944 model. Incredible. I meet bruce brock at the museum. A fellow history buff, he and dave hawkins went way back. I was proud to be his friend. He was a good businessman, he was a good father, a good husband, a great neighbor, and a Good Community guy. I understand coin collecting and car collecting, but tractors, bruce tractors . What was he thinking . These are a representation of the past that farmers and farm families and farm relations really enjoy looking at because it brings back memories. Tractors are part of iowas history. In 1892, John Froelich invented the practical gaspowered tractor in a tiny village about 300 miles east of here. The mechanization of farming helps america become an agricultural giant. Alex, are you in here . There he is. And even though none of daves four children tills the soil like he did, he does share his passion for tractors with his grandson, alex. I can remember as young as 3 or 4 years old, riding in the combine with my grandpa and taking naps on the floor, and if we werent doing that, we were driving up and down the road looking for other tractors to work on and fix up in the shop. Pretty soon, daves sheds are filled with old tractors in various states of repair more than 100 of them. Did mom ever say, no more tractors . No, not really, but i remember dad called the tractors his savings account, you know, to justify it. Through the years, as things became tight in the sheds, and, you know, there was just kind of a joking question about dad, are you ever gonna stop . The answer is, no, hes not going to stop. Family vacations become crosscountry tractor hunts. So would you say that he was eccentric . He was a little crazy sometimes, but he was definitely a savvy businessman. Over the years, grandpa probably put 100,000, probably not over a quarter of 1 million million into his collection. But it wasnt about the money. It was a passion, it was a love, and it was just something he wanted to do. He didnt really get into the collecting real heavily until he had the money to help us go to college and make sure we got the education that we wanted. Born of hardy iowa farmer stock, dave seems as indestructible as those tractors. Everybody assumes hell plow on forever. Then, all of a sudden, in the summer of 2011, his 73yearold body grinds to a halt. Dad was a man who never complained. He was only sick for a few days. We did not even know what was wrong with him. The autopsy results came back that we found out that he had cancer. [ voice breaking ] im sad because my dads gone. Sorry. It was more than just a shock. It was a lifechanging blow. He went to the same church from the day he was born until the day he died. He was baptized and had his funeral in the same small country church. It was very important to him that we all knew that legacy and continued that on, also. At first, life on the farm continues as before. Daves soninlaw, alexs dad, todd popken, farms the acreage. Alex tends the tractors. But soon, the loss of their patriarch sends ripples of change through the family. Daves widow, judy, moves into town. Did that surprise you . No. Mom had said for 10 years, if something happens to you first, i do not want to stay out here by myself. Daves absence creates a crisis, sparking strong disagreement within the family. Should they hang on to daves beloved collection or sell it and close out his savings account . At the time of his death, how prepared was he for you to take on this huge obligation . I wish we would have even had just a couple days to ask him some questions that would have helped us make sure we made the decisions that were how he wished for them to be made. And obviously the more people involved, the harder that decision becomes. You have to know, there were some bumpy roads that we traveled there. Thats next. And now for our strange inheritance quiz question. The answer when we return. [ bird caws ] ah, my poor mouth breather. Allergies . Stuffy nose . Cant sleep . Enough. Take that. A breathe right nasal strip of course. Imagine just put one on and pow it instantly opens your nose up to 38 more than allergy medicine alone. So you can breathe, and sleep. Better than a catnap. Shut your mouth and say goodnight, mouthbreathers. Breathe right. You wont see these folks they have businesses to run. They have passions to pursue. How do they avoid trips to the post office . Stamps. Com mail letters, ship packages, all the services of the post office right on your computer. Get a 4 week trial, plus 100 in extras including postage and a digital scale. Go to stamps. Com tv and never go to the post office again. [ bird caws ] now the answer to our strange inheritance quiz question. Its b, lamborghini. The untimely death of iowa farmer dave hawkins in 2011 leaves his family in a state of upheaval. His widow, judy, moves into town, leaving the homestead empty for the first time in generations. Daves grandson, alex, a 23yearold newlywed, and his wife, maria, buy the house and move in. A bold move by the young man, who has the best shot of keeping the hawkins tradition of family farming alive. Alex says his grandma made the house deal easy for the firsttime buyer. Now, isnt that what grandmas are for . So, did she give you a good deal . Yeah. A family deal. But the family hasnt even started to discuss what to do with the strange inheritance dave hawkins collection of rare and antique tractors. We didnt even talk about it until at least a year or almost a year had passed. I dont think it was easy for anyone. And we did go through that where, you know, we werent all agreeing. The numberone toughest decision was, can we keep the collection or do we have to sell part of it . Financially and timewise, there was nobody that could do what dad had done. Did he tell you before he passed . We had talked about it, but never made a decision, or he had never made a decision about what he wanted to do. Finally, daves widow, judy, asks the kids to come to a decision. Its not easy. How do you come to an agreement when each party has a different idea of what is right or wrong . To please five parties is a tough, tough decision to have to come to grips with. Amid this family discord, tammys son, alex, spends nights and weekends keeping his grandpas precious tractors from deteriorating. Theres a lot of expenses to keep them insurance, upkeep, batteries, tires, and to keep the collection and not upkeep it, in my opinion, was not an option. Dave hawkins pride and joy is becoming a sore point. I was at a fulltime job, as i was just graduated from college, just got married, and maybe some of them didnt realize all the time and work and money that it was gonna take to keep those tractors up. Alex thinks that could add up to more than 10,000 a year. There just is too much of a financial and Time Commitment that none of us were able to exercise, and that we didnt expect alex to exercise, and we made the decision then at that point to sell the items. The family decides the best way to maximize the collections value is through that Great American country tradition the opencall auction. And they keep it local by hiring dads old friend bruce brock, whos also an auctioneer. They wanted their father and their husband represented in a fashion that would make him proud because i know that he made them proud, and i think that was important. What did the family tell you about how much they wanted to generate from the sale . They didnt really tell us anything. They just trusted us to bring them home as many net dollars as we could. But its not quite that simple for the hawkins heirs, who made a curious discovery after their father died, one that could affect their bottom line and their fathers legacy. From beyond the grave, dave hawkins is guiding his family on how to handle their strange inheritance. Thats next. Heres another quiz question for you. The answer when we return. [ bird caws ] you know how painful heartburn can be. For fastacting, longlasting relief, try doctor recommended gaviscon. It quickly neutralizes stomach acid and helps keep acid down for hours. 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Our average customer could lower their monthly bills by over three hundred dollars. Go to lendingtree. Com right now. Livin in this crazy world so caught up in the confusion nothin is makin sense for me and you weve got to give a little love have a little hope make this world a little better so, how many acres could a farmer till in a day with a horsedrawn plow . The answer is b, 1 to 3 acres. After months of discussion, dave hawkins heirs have come to a painful conclusion its time to auction off his lifelong collection of tractors. But one more Family Member gets to weighs in dave himself. It was discovered in my dads desk that he had a handwritten list of the tractors that he wished for us to save. These tractors, going back to the 1920s, are the cream of daves crop and must stay in the family. Their dads list gets them thinking. What else should they keep off the Auction Block . So, they each make their own lists. It had to be godly intervention that when we got together for a family meeting and compared our lists, nobody had picked wanting the same item. At first, roma herself is undecided. One day, i would think, yes, i should keep a tractor. And the next day im thinking, you know what . Its only metal, and my memories of being with dad are invaluable to me. In the end, she cant resist keeping two bright green john deeres a 1943 b and a 48 m. Meanwhile, alex and his dad work the family farm with this 1964 deere. Okay. Thats one. He asks if i want to drive it. Over there are your brakes. Brakes are important. This is your lever to select the gear that you go in. And, of course, hes gentleman enough to coach this city girl on the basics, like how you turn the darned thing on. Im gonna start it up. I see a key. Yep. [ engine turns over ] there you go. Perfect. I wouldnt. [ laughs ] we dont have anything like this in new york. Nothing like this . No, nothing. You think the taxis will get out of the way . Oh, i think so. I think everyone will get out of the way. [ engine shuts off ] unbelievable experience driving a tractor. My pleasure. Thank you. That was exciting. Hard to imagine that the hawkins heirs had to wrangle more than 100 of these things to get ready for auction. You worked hard to get ready, im sure. Alex and todd popken worked through the winter ahead of that sale date getting tractors ready. A lot of sweat, a lot of tears, and a lot of laughter. Auctioneer bruce brock knows the key is getting as many motivated bidders as possible to the hawkins farm on auction day. Tell me about the night before. You get a good nights sleep . Very little. We are entrusted to, in just a few hours, bring to fruition a lifetime of collecting and sacrifice that the familys gone through. It was a big day for us, and we had everything planned, right down to the most minute detail. Well, every detail except one. 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After months of tough decisions and hard work, dave hawkins loved ones gather at the family farm for the auction of his collection of antique tractors. Just as the gavel is about to be raised. [ thunder crashes ] it starts to pour buckets. You went to all this preparation, though, for the auction, and the sky opens up. And what was it like . Disappointing that it might damper the crowd, but you cant ever wish away rain if youre a farmer. Dad would sing a song, you are my sunshine, to all of us a lot when we were small, and so that morning, on the way over here, i had ran into town and got us four yellow roses. Then the clouds part. And so, after it stopped raining, i took a yellow rose to my mother and my two sisters and said, you know, dad will always be our sunshine. So, we all carried our yellow roses around, and he was our sunshine. [ auctioneer calling ] once the bidding starts, its immediately clear that dave hawkins isnt the only one obsessed with these big machines. Was it a sellout . It was a sellout. And we were hoping to get 500 or 600 people, and we were almost double that. The bidders come from as far away as canada and mexico. 1936 john deere a sold. 2,000. 46 deere slant dash sold. 3,000. 49 case cs sold. 600 51 oliver rowcrop sold. 8,000. 58 john deere 730 diesel sold. 20,000. Tractors are pretty valuable to people. Tractors are pretty valuable, both emotionally and financially. The familys dedication to dave hawkins memory pays off. The auction nets around 400,000 for his heirs. I guess you could say dave is still taking care of his family. I had one child still in college, and my oldest child had graduated from college. And so, i was very excited to be able to use that money to help them with their college debt. Dave, who hated debt, would be proud. Oh, my goodness. But it could have been a lot more. If you add up the value of the 23 tractors that stay in the hawkins family, it comes to more than 180,000. Still, there are a few tears as 100plus tractors are trucked away to collectors around the country and beyond. It was kind of a bittersweet deal. There was a couple that i would have liked to have kept. I just feel bad for alex going out to all the empty sheds. But alex hopes the sheds wont be empty forever. As i get older and get my own collection going, maybe ill have the same problem again in 50 years. And remember that 29 john deere, the one that belonged to alexs greatgrandfather . That very first one that dave rescued from the junk pile . So, this is it . This ones it. In his will, dave hawkins sets that one aside for alex. Perhaps it will be the seed that grows into another grand collection, just like his grandpas. Living out here on the farm is good. You always get to walk somewhat in his footsteps, day in and day out. Hes still here a little bit for me. People that grew up on farms, thats your lifestyle. You breathe and die farming. I couldnt help but notice alexs pride, not just in that machine, not simply a strange inheritance that turned out to be quite valuable, but rather in the way of life that links him to those who came before him on this land and the determination of dave hawkins heirs to keep his legacy together for at least one more generation. We learned one other story about dave hawkins from his family. He never spent time with his tractors without having one of his children or grandchildren alongside. A completely positive person thats how they described him. So positive that hed answer the phone good morning, whether it was morning or night. In fact, after he passed, they had tshirts made that said good morning with gramps on the sleeve to wear their first christmas without dave. Thanks so much for joining us for strange inheritance. Im jamie colby. Remember you cant take it with you. Do you have a strange inheritance story youd like to share with us . Wed love to hear it. Send me an email or go to our website, strangeinheritance. Com. A letter arrives in the mail with news of a strange and lucrative inheritance. The letter goes on to say, if i got a letter like this, i would think it to be a scam. And i was like, why are we named . Somebodys scamming us. So, is it a scam . I said, you know, ray, theres a fine between genius and idiot. Hed say, yeah, and he said, i cross that two or three times a day. Who is this mysterious benefactor . He was a hidden man. He didnt have the family life. He didnt have a friend to talk to. He really, truly was a fan. But an inheritance . Thats a strange inheritance and a stranger story still. [ door creaks ] [ wind howls ] [ thunder rumbles ] [ bird caws ] im jamie colby, and today im on old route 66 in central illinois. Im heading to the small farming town of lincoln, where the strangest of inheritance stories unfolded. On a monday morning in july 2012, farmer bob pharis heads out to mow hay on some land he leases from an old friend named ray fulk. And it was very uncommon for ray not to come out and talk to me. And then i smelled something. I happened to look over and the bin door was open and that was not a good sign. I just went over there, and then i found him. And then i called 911 and. The county coroner, acting on info from a neighbor, contacts attorney don behle to inform him his 71year old client has died of heart failure. Behle cannot even remember fulk. I hadnt seen him in 15 years, and so i had no idea who theyre talking about. How strange is it that were here right now talking to you about this guy you barely remember . [ laughs ] its very strange. Don checks his files and realizes he indeed worked with someone named ray fulk back in 1997. He wanted me to change his will and he brought it in to me and i was named as the executor. But all i had was a copy. It was 15 years later. He could have changed his will. Don drives out to rays farmhouse to find the original will. There he discovers an unsettling scene. It was absolutely covered with cobwebs and would remind you of a show where youd have dracula involved. I mean, my house might sometimes be untidy. Are we talking about more than that . Were talking about a hoarder show. The whole place reeked. Somehow, the lawyer locates ray fulks will. It directs 5,000 dollars to a chicago animal shelter, but the next part is a puzzle. I give and bequeath all my tangible personal property to my friends, kevin m. Brophy of san fernando, california, and peter barton of valley stream, long island, new york. Who are these guys . And how does don find them . That will take more digging digging through the debris. In rays room, he had pictures of wolves torn out of magazines and put on the wall. I had no idea how it all fit together at that point in time. Hell start to fit it all together soon. Among rays many diaries written in neat cursive, don finds a scrapbook with a big clue. It said lucan. I opened it up, and it had kevins picture in there. Lucan was a tv Series Starring kevin brophy as a boy raised by wolves. It was cancelled after just 12 episodes in 1978, when ray fulk was 37 years old. It was pretty clear to me that show meant something to ray and he identified with it. Don digs further and discovers the other man in the will peter barton also an actor. Why fulk named him, however, is a bigger riddle. From to 1988 to 92, barton played dr. Scott grainger in the soap opera the young and the restless. How am i ever gonna be able to thank you . Before that, he starred in a shortlived tv series called the powers of matthew star. Two basically unknown actors that ray had a fondness for. Did you have any idea how much they were going to inherit . The inheritance consisted of approximately 165 acres, some c. D. S that were at the bank, and the cash that i found around the house. How much is it all worth . Dons not exactly sure, but figures hundreds of thousands of dollars easy, maybe even 1 million or more. So, the dutiful attorney writes letters to the two retired actors, informing them of their very strange inheritance. He has named you, as his friends, beneficiaries of his estate. I was stunned. I was shocked. I took the other side of it completely, going, kevin, if its too good to be true, it probably is. Thats next. But first, our strange inheritance quiz question. Which strange personality willed that a seance be held for him every year . Was it master of the macabre edgar allan poe, escape artist harry houdini, or horrorfilm icon Vincent Price . The answer in a moment. Today, were out here with some big news about type 2 diabetes. You have type 2 diabetes, right . Yes. So let me ask you this. How does diabetes affect your heart . It doesnt, does it . Actually, it does. Type 2 diabetes can make you twice as likely to die from a cardiovascular event, like a heart attack or stroke. And with Heart Disease, your risk is even higher. You didnt know that. No. Yeah. But, wait, theres good news for adults who have type 2 diabetes and Heart Disease. Jardiance is the only type 2 diabetes pill with a lifesaving cardiovascular benefit. Jardiance is proven to both significantly reduce the chance of dying from a cardiovascular event in adults who have type 2 diabetes and Heart Disease and lower your a1c. Jardiance can cause serious side effects including dehydration. This may cause you to feel dizzy, faint, or lightheaded, or weak upon standing. Ketoacidosis is a serious side effect that may be fatal. Symptoms include nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, tiredness, and trouble breathing. Stop taking jardiance and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of ketoacidosis or an allergic reaction. Symptoms of an allergic reaction include rash, swelling, and difficulty breathing or swallowing. Do not take jardiance if you are on dialysis or have severe kidney problems. Other side effects are sudden kidney problems, genital yeast infections, increased bad cholesterol, and urinary tract infections, which may be serious. Taking jardiance with a sulfonylurea or insulin may cause low blood sugar. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take and if you have any medical conditions. So now that you know all that, what do you think . That its time to think about jardiance. Ask your doctor about jardiance. And get to the heart of what matters. So, which strange personality willed an annual seance be held for him . Its b, harry houdini, who died in 1926. He wanted to reveal himself to his wife once a year. Lets reset. In august 2012, two former actors kevin brophy and peter barton each receive a letter informing them they are the coinheritors of the estate of someone named ray fulk. Ray had never met either of them. Leaving a huge amount of money to someone youve never met sounds more than eccentric, which leads me to a question for rays attorney don behle. It says, as every will does, ray fulk, of lincoln, illinois, being of sound and disposing mind and memory. Was he . Yes. He knew what he owned. He may have been odd, but he was of sound mind. My next stop is Southern California to meet kevin brophy. My name is kevin brophy, and in 2012, i received a letter that was really about to change my life. Its here in the land of sun, surf, and palm trees kevin started his career more than 30 years ago. This is an episode of lucan. He was a boy raised by wolves. That was the premise of the pilot, and the pilot went to 12 episodes over a twoyear period. As so many actors will say, it was a good ride while it lasted. It didnt last for you. My window was in my 20s, and i had my program and a great career. Then the phone stops ringing. When the phone stops ringing, kevin finds a new line of work. He takes a job as a doorman in 1983 at the posh hotel belair and keeps it for the next 27 years. Then the hotel closed and they went for remodeling and i was praying for a job and then the letter [chuckles] i refer to it as the letter comes. This is the original letter from the attorney saying, you dont know me, but i represent ray e. Fulk. He was a hermit and a hoarder and a farmer here in illinois. And don behle, who wrote the letter, goes on to say, if i got a letter like this, i would think it to be a scam. Turns out kevin once worked with the second beneficiary in ray fulks will fellow actor peter barton. I did a movie in 1980 called hell night, kind of a campy horror story, but became friends with most of the cast members, including peter. Peter now lives in upstate new york. So, you really dont hear much about kevin until you find out somebody died and youre the only two friends he names in his will. From the moment i opened that up and i saw kevins name, i was like, somebodys scamming us. The two men discuss what to do next. I said, peter, i believe it. I believe it, and im going with it for gusto. I took the other side of it completely, going, kevin, if its too good to be true, it probably is. But peter agrees to make the 900mile trip to lincoln, illinois, to find out for both of them. Peters home video begins to unravel the mystery. Behind the silos, ray had a grave site with all his dogs. Look at this, all the pet cemetery. Queenie, 32177. 101587. 82, 80, 94. Buddy, fred, fad. Wow. A lot of dogs. The pet cemetery abuts 167 acres of prime soil, tillable for corn and soybean. Wow. Thats a lot of farmland out there. All this a gift from a man they never met. So, who was this guy . And why would he do this . Dennis and nitsie gleason live a stones throw away from ray fulk. How would you describe, in a word, ray . Weird. Id say weird, goofy. Eccentric. Whoa. Eccentric maybe for good reason. The neighbors explain that ray eugene fulk, born in 1941, was an only child and an outcast at school, bullied by classmates and often by his own mother. His mother was real mean. I think he got along with his father more, but ray would tell me these Different Things that his mother would do to him. For example . Well, shed leave him out of the house. He couldnt come in the house for a while. Hed have to stay outside. He said hed go sleep with the puppies. Mmhmm. Never really had a friend. The only persons he trusted was, you know, his dogs and me and bob pharis. Bob had known ray since they were teenagers. He probably had some type of a learning disability. And in todays education, they would have caught that, but they just didnt have that type of thing back there in the 50s. So, i think ray fell through the cracks. When ray graduates from high school in 1958, he joins the army. He loves it, bob says, but his mother lobbies to get him an Early Release to help on the farm. Its too bad cause i think ray would have been better off if he would have remained in the army and away from mom and probably his life would have turned out a whole lot differently. In the diaries he kept for decades, ray compares himself to a wolf, the most maligned, least understood animal, he writes, that shares my same distrust of humanity. You know, he was very intelligent, and he and i would even joke about it. I said, you know, ray, theres a fine line between genius and idiot. Hed say, yeah, and he said, i cross that two or three times a day. In 1981, rays mother dies. For the next 15 years, ray shares the farmhouse with his dad. In the late 1990s, his father is in poor health and doesnt have much time left. Ray confides in his friend bob that he suspects some of his cousins are after the farm and his dads investments. Ray fears theyre trying to have him declared mentally incompetent to take control of his fathers estate. He was telling me about it, and i said, ray, you need an attorney. Rays been using his fathers attorney, but he now suspects that lawyer is in cahoots with his cousins and scheming against him. And thats when i mentioned don behle. And he told me about his dad and the problems he was having with cousins wanting to take over the control and care of his father. Did ray say why he wanted his family to not benefit from the estate . What did they do to him . I think the fact that any relative went to an attorney to take away his father was the act that he thought was treacherous. Don assures ray hell help. Then in 1997, rays father dies. So ray makes one more trip to lincoln to amend his will and name don behle as his executor. He no longer wanted the executor that he had previously named because those were the attorneys that had irritated him by talking to his other Family Members. Were you surprised . It seemed to me that, even though ray was odd, he knew his relatives, didnt like them. But don knows full well thats not always the end of it, especially in situations like this, where a hermit, described as weird, eccentric, and goofy, bequeaths a family fortune to a couple of complete strangers. But you have to give relatives a chance to come forward, right . Well, yeah. I mean, the relatives have the opportunity to contest a will. They have six months to do that. Howd that go . Thats next and more. Do you ever feel guilty taking an inheritance from a stranger . Heres another quiz question for you. Which of these Pampered Pets was willed the largest inheritance . Fashion designer Alexander Mcqueens bull terriers, king of pop Michael Jacksons chimp, or realestate mogul Leona Helmsleys maltese . The answer in a moment. Oh boy. Looking for adventure this labor day . Holy smokes. Oh man, thats pretty intense. Look no further than chevrolet. This is a fast car. 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So, which pampered pet received the largest inheritance . Its c. Leona helmsley left her beloved maltese trouble a 12million trust in 2007. [ dog barks ] two former actors get the surprise of a lifetime in 2012 when ray fulk, a man theyve never met, leaves them a large inheritance. But its no done deal yet. Rays relatives have six months to challenge the will, and ray long suspected that some of them pegged him as mentally incompetent. You dont think of it as taking it away from other relatives of his . Absolutely not because rays story is a heartbreaking story caused by pain and loneliness. So, for ray to have looked on myself and peter with this incredible gift, this is doing exactly what ray wanted. Exhibit a, kevin brophy says rays scrapbook, dedicated to his starring role in lucan. These are the chronicles that follow the young wolf man in the world of man in his quest to find his roots. And its all handputtogether. And the picture that i sent him theres the photograph. And he wrote, this scrapbook would not be complete without a corresponding section devoted to kevin brophy. He really, truly was a fan. Maybe, but kevin admits this is the stuff restraining orders are made of. You know, it could have come back as a stalking, horrible nightmare, but ray was just very, very introverted and loved television. And thank goodness for lucan. But an inheritance . Thats a strange inheritance and a stranger story still. Okay, with the scrapbooks, the wolf pictures, the dog cemetery, you get ray fulks affinity for lucan. But whats up with the soapopera doc . Peter barton finds the answer in rays letters. I started reading these letters, and im like, wow. This guy is talking about astral projecting. Hes talking about things that my character did. Not bartons young and the restless character, but in his role in the powers of matthew star, a 1982 series about an alien with supernatural abilities. Its like he was searching and he saw matthew star and he went, oh, my god, you know . A little crazy . I think he was a really smart guy who kind of built a cage around himself and then couldnt get out. Thats what i wanted when i was doing matthew star. I wanted to affect people like ray. Did you ask don, the lawyer, if ray had any other family that he might have given it to . For myself, it never really crossed my mind. You can leave anything to anyone, but you have to give relatives a chance to come forward, right . Well, yeah. I mean, the relatives have the opportunity to contest a will. They have six months to do that. Howd that go . Nobody contested it. So kevin brophy and peter barton are now the proud owners of 167 acres of corn and soybean fields. But is that the end of this strange inheritance story . Not by a country mile. Two hollywood characters come to town that ray never mentioned, and theyre here to leave with cash. We were just a little leery about who they were that was getting the money. And exactly how much money . Thats coming up, plus this. Did ray save your life . Ray indeed saved my life. What started as a passion to make something original. Has grown into an enterprise. Thats why i switched to the spark cash card from capital one. Now, im earning unlimited 2 cash back on every purchase i make. Everything. Which adds up to thousands of dollars back every year. And helps keep my passion growing. In every direction. Whats in your wallet . Ah, my poor mouth breather. Allergies . Stuffy nose . Cant sleep . Enough. Take that. A breathe right nasal strip of course. Imagine just put one on and pow it instantly opens your nose up to 38 more than allergy medicine alone. So you can breathe, and sleep. Better than a catnap. Shut your mouth and say goodnight, mouthbreathers. Breathe right. Has gotten to know our business so well that is feels like hes a part of our team. With one phone call, he sets me up with tailored products and services. And when my advisor is focused on my tech, i can focus on my small business. A dell advisor can help you choose the right products with powerful intel® core™ processors. Now back to strange inheritance. A fan leaves two former actors kevin brophy of l. A. And peter barton of new york a surprise inheritance that includes 167 acres of farmland in central illinois. What do you say to yourself . What the heck am i gonna do with this . Can i sell it . Could you sell it . Peter had kind of thought of being a farmer there in illinois. But, no, i cant do winters, and i cant do farming. So the heirs ask rays attorney, don behle, to sell it and see what they get. Plenty of locals want rays fertile land. The highest bid 800,000. Add in another 500,000 in cash and stocks, and the entire estate is worth 1. 3 million. In lincoln after the sale, peter and kevin headline a fundraiser in rays name for a local humane society. Ray had a very strange upbringing and an odd life, but he loved his dogs. He loved his dogs probably more than himself. Two hollywood characters come to town that ray never mentioned, and theyre here to leave with cash. We were just a little leery about who they were that was getting the money, but after meeting them, they were two downtoearth, good people that nitsie and i we just loved them to pieces. How did the money change your life . Thats been a godsend because when life looks like easy street, there is danger at your door. One year later, i was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. This was a devastating diagnostic for me in this world of healthcare where a doctor visit could be 200. It has certainly helped alleviate any concern i have for myself and my other extended family. Did ray save your life . Ray indeed saved my life. Today kevin is still working as a doorman. His new door has another swanky address. I am on rodeo drive. I have an incredible suit i get to wear. Thank you. I have met so many people, im thinking of running for the mayor of beverly hills. So, the acting didnt make you rich. Did the inheritance make you rich . The inheritance gave me confidence that im safe. Maybe i want to say to ray, thank you, ray. You made me safe. Peter is currently working on a screenplay about this entire strange inheritance story. And who knows . It may get these two retired actors back into pictures, two lives touched forever by a man theyd never met. Im jamie colby for strange inheritance. Thanks so much for watching. And remember you cant take it with you. Do you have a strange inheritance story youd like to share with us . Wed love to hear it. Send me an email or go to our website strangeinheritance. Com im bob massi. For 32 years, ive been practicing law and living in las vegas. I help people with all sorts of realestate problems, from trying to save their homes to closing major deals. Eight years ago, 6,000 people a month moved here, looking for employment and affordable homes. Little did anyone know that we would become ground zero for the american realestate crisis. Now, its a different story. The American Dream is back. Were gonna meet real people who faced the same problems as millions across america, and well dive deep into a city on the rebound because las vegas was a microcosm of america, and now vegas is back. [ woman vocalizing ]