COURT HOUSE – An Edison man who, along with his wife, fell in love with the Cape May County Zoo left more than $1.4 million in his will to the Cape May County Zoological Society, a nonprofit that works with the county on the zoo and raises funds to support it.

Mike Laffey, a former zoo director and Cape May County administrator who was executor of the estate of the late Charles Muller, wrote a check for $1,435,797 to the Zoological Society for use in support of the zoo as part of settling the estate.

“It’s probably one of the biggest (bequests) they’ve gotten,” Laffey said.

Neal Byrne, president of the Zoological Society, said after the check was presented on Tuesday, July 9, at the zoo entrance, “This is a big deal. It’s the biggest gift from a single donor in a long time.”

The funds from the bequest would be dedicated to care for the animals and upgrading exhibits, he said.

Laffey’s relationship with Muller started around 2012, when Muller called the zoo and asked if someone could pick him up in Edison and bring him to the zoo because he couldn’t drive.

“He said he might like to make a significant donation to the zoo,” he said.

But the story behind the bequest began earlier, Laffey said — when Muller and his wife, Elizabeth, visited the zoo and enjoyed it very much. He said the Mullers liked the way the zoo was laid out and particularly loved the tiger the zoo had, Rocky. Elizabeth Muller died in 2010, and about two years later Muller called with the request for a ride to the zoo.

“He said he wanted someone to pick him up for a tour,” Laffey said.

He said he spoke to Muller on the phone for a while and got a good feeling about the man, that he had a really good heart, so he and Al Barnett, who worked in risk management, drove up to Edison in the zoo van to get Muller.

They brought him down to Cape May County and gave him a private tour of the zoo, showing him some of the behind-the-scenes sights and introducing him to some of the animal keepers. They also got him closer to the tiger that he loved.

At the end of the day, Muller gave the zoo a $1,000 donation. Laffey said the two became friends.

Laffey sent him a disk with photos from the tour, including some of him feeding a giraffe. According to a caretaker, Muller plugged the disk into his TV and never turned it off.

Laffey said he learned a lot about Muller during that first ride to the zoo. Muller was born on May 30, 1929, in the United States of German descent, and his parents took him back to Germany, where he grew up.

After World War II started he was rescued by American soldiers, and he was helped to make his way back to the United States. He eventually joined the Army and fought in the war. Laffey said Muller also talked about the love of his life, Elizabeth.

He said Muller just showed up another day, unannounced, and was given another tour. Following that, they went out to lunch. Laffey made arrangements to get Muller back home, and Muller came back to the zoo some months later after taking a world cruise.

Laffey said he got the idea Muller might be a man of resources and started to think that, along with their friendship, he might have cultivated a donor. He later learned that, after the tours, Muller had named him as the executor of his estate, and said he wanted to leave everything he owned to the Zoological Society.

Laffey left the zoo to become the county administrator in 2013. After that, there were other private tours, and Laffey would reach out to Muller from time to time. However, he said Muller never answered his phone and did not call back. In 2018 he retired from the county job.

Then in 2022, Laffey received a call from Muller’s lawyer saying he had been looking for him for a long time. Muller died on Sept. 29, 2022, at age 93. He had only one relative when he made out his will, and she had died two years before him.

Laffey assumed the role of executor of Muller’s estate, closing out multiple bank accounts and selling off property, including the modest house Muller had in Edison, which sold for about $300,000.

For anyone interested in making a donation, the Cape May County Zoological Society is a tax-exempt 501c(3) nonprofit corporation; donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Donations may be sent to the Cape May County Zoological Society at P.O. Box 864, Cape May Court House, NJ 08210, email info@capemayzoosociety.org, or go to Donate – Cape May County Zoological Society (capemayzoosociety.org).

For more information, call the Zoological Society at 609-465-9300.

Contact the reporter, Christopher South, at csouth@cmcherald.com or 609-886-8600, ext. 128.