Statist Couple Leaves $850,000 to Government

SEATTLE — A recently deceased couple left almost $850,000 to the US government in their will, believing it was somehow greatly responsible for their success.

Peter Petrasek emigrated from Czechoslovakia after World War II. His wife Joan stipulated in their will that all of their money be donated to the government.

Peter was an engineer for a Seattle steel company, and passed away in 2012 at the age of 85. Joan, originally from Ireland, died several years earlier of breast cancer at age 79.

Peter Winn, an attorney who helped transfer $847,215.57 to the US Treasury Department on behalf of the couple’s estate, said the couple had no children, and that they first met in Canada before settling in Seattle.

“I think the Petraseks were very grateful to their adopted country. They wanted to make a statement about how much it meant to them to be able to call themselves American citizens,” Winn said.

The couple apparently assumed that the government, rather than individuals directly involved in their success, were responsible for the opportunities they had.

In order to make the donation, the couple’s assets — including their home, savings, and sizable investment portfolio — first had to be liquidated in a lengthy process requiring court-appointed attorneys.

“Both felt they were given opportunities and education by coming here,” said Carrie Balkema, the attorney appointed by the court in order to oversee the liquidation.

The will left by the Petraseks did not include any other charities, organizations, or individuals.