THOUSANDS of people will remember Gordon Hewitt ... yet very few actually knew him.

He appeared somewhat destitute as he sold copies of the Huddersfield Daily Examiner in the town centre.

And he was so thrifty he would sit in his three-wheeler car with the light on to read to save his electricity at home.

But only now can it be revealed that twice-divorced Mr Hewitt was a wealthy man who remembered the kindness people had showed him in his will – especially six women who have all benefited from his large sums of money he has left them.

Tall Mr Hewitt always wore his trademark dufflecoat, ill-fitting trousers and canvas pumps.

He died in December 2010 at the age of 71.

But he had always been a thrifty soul and had built up a considerable wealth after many years of careful saving.

His fortune amounted to more than £250,000, much of it stashed away in at least 20 savings and investment accounts.

Six lady friends benefited from his will but, strangely, at least three of them barely knew him.

Ann, 63, a married mother-of-two from Huddersfield, was working as a shop assistant in the Wilkinson’s store in Huddersfield when she first met him as a customer in 1988.

Although they only chatted a few times over the years, Mr Hewitt remembered her kindness as he made his will.

“He told me that he was brought up by women and didn’t like men,” she said.

“He never bought much – maybe a box of matches – but he seemed to like the kindness of women. He told me he would leave me something in his will but I told him to look after himself.

“I never knew where he lived. I felt sorry for him when he was out in the snow in very thin canvas pumps. He was very grateful for the friendship.

“Because of his unkempt appearance people would shy away from him. People would laugh and make fun of him.

“I would like to publicly acknowledge that Gordon did have a genteel side and he only wanted to pass the time of day.

“I am not able to thank him but I want the people of Huddersfield to know that he was kind and generous.”

Other recipients of the cash were shocked at the size of the sums involved – and that he kept his word.

One woman, 70, who asked not to be named, wasn’t expecting much more than £50 and assumed he was virtually broke.

“I couldn’t believe it,’’ she said. “I thought it was a mistake. I danced with him at a club on a Sunday night. Other people would take the mickey out of him, which I didn’t like.

“He would turn up at the dance in his dufflecoat and trousers which were too short. I didn’t know about his money – he must have lived very frugally.”

Another woman, in her 50s, had chatted to Mr Hewitt in the street near his home on a few dozen occasions.

“He hinted at a will but I thought he was talking rubbish,” she said. “I was gobsmacked at the money. He did once tell me that he liked women and not men.”

Former neighbours in Winton Street, Lockwood, recalled Mr Hewitt’s obsessive approach to saving money.

He never put the heating on, ate for free at churches and relied on the same dufflecoat for years.

He attended many churches in and around Huddersfield and Halifax including the Salvation Army Hall and the Seventh Day Adventist Church at Crosland Moor.

David Cheeseman, 68, said: “I have known him for over 50 years and he was always eccentric and comical in his manner.

“I told him many times to look after himself and install central heating in his house but he just laughed.”

Friend and neighbour Jean Buckley said Mr Hewitt had lived in the same house all his life, going through two marriages and divorces.

She recalled his thrifty ways as something of an obsession.

She said he helped out at a soup kitchen just for the free soup and would call into churches for the warmth.

His hobbies were watching crown green bowling and sitting in the pub, but friends said he would rarely have more than one orange juice all evening.

Mrs Buckley added: “He used to sit in his Reliant Robin reading a newspaper with the light on so he didn’t have to turn the light on in the house. He was just a character.

“We knew he had some money, but not this much. I hope the six women enjoy the money more than he did.”

Mr Hewitt’s funeral was held at the Salvation Army Hall in New Hey Road, Oakes, and he is now buried in Lockwood cemetery.