Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 8, 1993 TAG: 9301080193
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By LAURENCE HAMMACK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
FAMILY GETS VIA FORTUNE
Heiress Marion B. Via, who in life gave part of her fortune to the arts, educational and social-service institutions of the Roanoke Valley, has left the rest to her family.Via's last will and testament was filed in Roanoke Circuit Court on Thursday, four days after she died.
Although Via's millions in donations made her Roanoke's most generous philanthropist, many of the organizations she gave to in life were not included in her will.
She left $150,000 to pay for Roanoke Symphony Conductor Victoria Bond's salary over the next three years. The rest of her estate was left to her two sons, Peter and Edward, and other family members.
Via's fortune has been estimated at $400 million. Her attorney has confirmed that Via gave away $10 million to $20 million a year to education, arts and social services organizations in the Roanoke Valley and Western Virginia.
The bulk of her wealth now goes into trust funds for her two sons, and the 53-page will did not specify if there are any provisions on how the money may be spent.
John Rocovich, a Roanoke lawyer who was appointed executor of the will along with Via's two sons, could not be reached for comment Thursday.
The will was dated April 23, 1987, although it contained several codicils that updated the document with minor changes.
Much of the will left real estate in Roanoke, Roanoke County, Floyd County, Montgomery County and North Carolina to Via's two sons, either directly or in trust funds. A few other parcels of property and family belongings went to her granddaughters.
Via was a Milwaukee native who came to the Roanoke Valley nearly 50 years ago and spent her adult life here until she died Sunday at the age of 75.
Known as the area's most generous - and reclusive - philanthropist, Via quietly gave large amounts of money to institutions that included the Bradley Free Clinic, the Rescue Mission, the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Mill Mountain Theatre, Roanoke College, Hollins College and Virginia Tech.