Lainy Lebow-Sachs was bequeathed $500,000 in cash and 25 percent of the residual estate of William Donald Schaefer, whose last will and testament was released yesterday.

The longtime aide, who was at Schaefer’s side when he died April 18 and organized three days of public funeral ceremonies, was among 21 individuals awarded special gifts by the four-term Baltimore mayor and two-term Maryland governor, who never married and left no immediate family.

Lebow-Sachs, now executive vice-president at Kennedy Krieger Institute, said she was stunned by his large gift to her. “He’s so wonderful and he just wanted to touch everybody a little bit,” she told The Baltimore Sun yesterday.

The other 20 recipients received small gifts.

The gifts were mostly in cash – ranging from $2,000 to former state election laws chief Gene Raynor to $1,500 to John Paterakis, the H&S bakery mogul and developer of Harbor East – but also included “my stamp collection, including my first day of issue envelopes collection, [and] my plate collection” to Jeanne Bell, a friend of 30 years.

One of his larger gifts ($10,000) went to Karen Blair, his personal secretary while he served in City Hall and Annapolis.

The largest institutional donation was $50,000 to the Hilda Mae Snoops Memorial Nursing Scholarship Fund at the University of Maryland, named for his late companion.

Schaefer also sprinkled cash to a dozen organizations and academic programs, including $2,500 to the National Aquarium; $2,500 to Zion Church; $25,000 to the St. Mary’s College of Maryland Intern Program; and $15,000 to the University of Baltimore William Donald Schaefer Center for Public Policy.

Estate Estimated at $2.4 Million

The value of his estate was estimated at $2.4 million, with $2 million in personal property and $400,000 in real estate.

The 25 percent share of the estate going to Lebow-Sachs would have a cash value of roughly $350,000 in addition to her cash gift.

The balance of the estate’s proceeds will go the William Donald Schaefer Foundation created in 2003.

Lebow-Sachs and Zelig Robinson, a Baltimore lawyer, are listed as the estate’s representatives and will handle the sale of personal property and real estate, according to the will, which was filed in Baltimore County Circuit Court.