A Ripon man’s final gift to the community is more than sharing his estate with those who attended his funeral. The late Dennis Valstad split his half-million dollar estate with the 270 people who attended his funeral, but the executor of the estate, Don Jorgensen, says the real story is the message that it sends to be “more giving and loving.” Valstad ran a dry-cleaning business for many years. He died a few months ago at the age of 69. Valstad’s story was aired Friday on the CBS Evening news segment “On the Road with Steve Hartman.” Hartman was in Ripon last week to talk with Jorgensen and other local residents about Valstad.
