Valley Children’s Hospital. File Photo.

The estate of Donald Emil Gumz has gifted $4 million to Valley Children’s, and to recognize his legacy, the hospital will be naming a planned outpatient center after the local philanthropist.

“One of the great privileges of leading Valley Children’s Healthcare is witnessing firsthand the generosity of extraordinary individuals like Donald Gumz,” said Todd Suntrapak, president and CEO. “Mr. Gumz’s generosity was driven, in part, by his commitment to making a difference in the lives of children for generations to come — children he would not likely know or see.”

Gumz was born and raised in Fresno to a family that had farmed grapes in California since the early 1900s. He graduated from Edison High School and spent his entire professional life as an accountant, first for a local developer and then with Vie-del Winery until his retirement in 1991. Gumz was known for generosity, providing financial support for many causes including Valley Children’s the Ronald McDonald House, Marjaree Mason Center and Fresno State’s Enology Department.

He died in 2018.

“Mr. Gumz’s kindness and foresight to devise an estate plan that translated his life’s work into direct impact on not only Valley Children’s, but also other Central Valley charities, is a remarkable story that must be shared as an example to us all,” said Dan Adams, chair of the Valley Children’s Healthcare Foundation Board of Directors.