Hutchinson ? A Hutchinson woman who died in February has left the bulk of her estate – as much as $1.5 million – to the city’s animal shelter.

Gladys Gossage – whose husband, William Gossage, died in 1982 – never had children. She died Feb. 8, and her estate planning documents named the beneficiary as the Hutchinson Animal Shelter, attorney Jim Gilliland said.

The exact value of the trust won’t be known until land and real estate are sold, but animal shelter director Amy Mings said it was “like winning the lottery.”

“It was just astonishing that it was that large a gift,” said Mings, who was named director about four months ago and never met Gossage, who was 94.

“There are lots of amazing animal lovers out there, but to bestow that kind of gift on the animal shelter, that’s just amazing to me,” Mings said.