"I'm Just Doing What I Was Taught."

Patti Goepfrich knew when her parents’ 50th wedding anniversary celebration ended, it could be the beginning of something extraordinary. After a big celebration with family and friends, Patti wanted her parents to do something special with the generous gifts of money that they received in honor of their anniversary. Patti worked at the Community Foundation at the time, so she understood endowments. She knew her family could make an impact on the community forever, and do so in the name of her mom and dad. After thinking about the causes that mattered most to them, Joseph and Irene decided to support German heritage projects, and to name the Fairview Cemetery as a beneficiary of their grant each year. The Joseph F. and Irene C. Eckerle and Family Endowment was established in 2003. Since then, Patti and Tom Goepfrich have given each year to their family’s endowment at the Community Foundation. But it doesn’t stop there. Patti and Tom’s loyalty and commitment to the Joseph F. and Irene C. Eckerle and Family Endowment will continue beyond their lifetimes. By naming the endowment in their estate, the fund will receive generous support through a bequest in their will. The Eckerle family believes strongly in giving back. When asked about her motivation for her parents to start the endowment and naming the endowment in her estate, “I’m just doing what I was taught,” Patti says.