Louis and Wilma Imhoff Stealy Scholarship Fund

Louis and Wilma Stealy observed that both the value and the cost of the quality, higher education Goshen College provides, increased greatly in their later years.  They knew that a majority of the students at Goshen received some form, at varying levels, of financial aid and that for many students, this aid is what enabled them to stay in college.

Their concern regarding the cost and their sincere desire to assist students at Goshen College led them to establish this Louis and Wilma Imhoff Stealy Scholarship Fund. The Stealys, who lived in Elkhart Ind., established the fund by participating in a life-income plan that helped fund their retirement years and then, at their deaths, the remaining principal came to Goshen College to endow the scholarship fund.

The late Lou Stealy described his interest in the college this way:  “I want to help students afford the costs of a private college like Goshen.  Later on, perhaps some of the students who received our help will be able to assist others, too.”

“We always talked about Goshen College to our two daughters when they were growing up,” the late Wilma Stealy added.  Apparently their enthusiasm for the college paid off.  Both daughters, Lorraine and Judy, studied elementary education at GC and are former teachers in the Denver (Colo.) and Lansing (Mich.) schools.

Lorraine and her husband, Ron Birkey, also a Goshen alumnus, and David & Ann Birkey live in Denver, while Ted lives in New York.  Ann and Ted are graduates of Goshen.  Ron is a graduate of the Architectural School of the University of Colorado and owns Birkey Associates, an architectural firm.

Judy’s husband, Richard Stuckey, is a Goshen graduate and received his master’s and doctorate degrees from Michigan State University. They have two children, J.J. and Jon, who also are Goshen graduates and live in Kirkland (Wash.) and Portland (Oreg.) respectively, with their families.  Judy and Dick are retired and live in Surprise, AZ.