The woman behind the mysterious donations

After the Oyster Bay banker died, the Chalmers moved into the main house, where they cared for his widow. With few opportunities to interact with neighbors on such an expansive property, Ms. Chalmers spent much of her free time at church.

James Lynch said he’d known the couple since he was a boy and his parents were among their few close friends. He said some of his earliest memories are of his parents going out on double dates with them.

Ms. Chalmers loved to cook, James Lynch said, and she and her husband were incredibly fond of children.

“She was a person who really got along with everybody, and the same with Eddie, but Eddie had other interests, like boating,” James Lynch said.

Much of Ms. Chalmers’ isolation grew from concerns over her personal appearance, he said. She preferred staying at home over heading out in public with her husband.

After becoming naturalized U.S. citizens in 1996, the couple retired and moved to Orient.

Mr. Chalmers frequented Floyd Memorial Library in Greenport and became friends with head children’s librarian, Joe Cortale. Mr. Cortale said that although he was friends with Mr. Chalmers, he never met Ms. Chalmers in person.

It wasn’t until her husband died that he ever spoke to her.

“She called me a few times after he passed,” Mr. Cortale said. “We’d talk about Eddie mostly and about how much he liked the library.”

Ms. Chalmers gave him three of her husband’s scarves and his favorite book of poems, all of which remain in Mr. Cortale’s office.

She also gave him a pewter tea set from Scotland that Mr. Cortale said he cherishes.

“He’s one of the finest men I’ve met in my life,” Mr. Cortale said of Mr. Chalmers. “He never called me Joe — it was always ‘laddie’ in his little accent.”

Library director Lisa Richland also has fond memories of Mr. Chalmers.

“He was a regular visitor to the library — a gracious gentleman with a Scottish burr to his voice,” she said. “Ms. Chalmers was less outgoing, but no less gracious. We were sorry to hear of her passing.”

Ms. Richland said the library was “delighted and surprised” to be remembered in Ms. Chalmers’ will.

Oysterponds school board president Dorothy-Dean Thomas said that, like Mr. Comanda, she asked her board during its annual reorganizational meeting last month if anyone knew Ms. Chalmers and no one did.

James Lynch said anonymity is what Ms. Chalmers preferred.

“If she didn’t have to sign her name to a check, no one would ever know where the money came from,” he said.

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