Lea and Elsie Wildung
Lea and Elsie Wildung were long time St. Paul residents and members of St. John Ev. Lutheran Church in St. Paul – one of the founding congregations of St. Croix.

Lea was baptized at Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Paul and as an adult became an active leader at St. John and with the Elmhurst Cemetery Board. He made his living as a carpenter and is remembered by many for these skills.

Elsie came from a strong christen family with deep ministry roots. Her grandfather was an early Lutheran missionary who began a congregation in Dakota County that today is Trinity Lone Oak. As a child, Elsie attended the Christian day school at St. John. Even though St. Croix Lutheran High School did not exist when Elsie attended high school, she always had a special place in her heart for the school.

In 1986, Elsie made a gift that began the endowment fund at St Croix Lutheran High School. Endowments are restricted investment gifts that provide a steady source of income (from interest earnings) to the school and are designated to be kept intact for perpetuity. Elsie was a pioneer in making a gift that would ensure the future of this ministry.

Later Elsie and Lea would remember St. Croix in their estate plans providing an endowed scholarship fund to provide tuition assistance for St. Croix students.

The Lea A. and Elsie L. Wildung Society at St. Croix Lutheran High School
The purpose of the Lea A. and Elsie L. Wildung Society is to honor and recognize those who have included a legacy gift in their estate plans or made an endowment gift to benefit St. Croix Lutheran High School. These dedicated individuals are a reflection of the Wildung’s early commitment to supporting the growth and development of this high school ministry. In so doing, these people recognize the school’s unique role in training young Christians.

Membership to the Lea A. and Elsie L. Wildung Society
Membership is extended to alumni, parents and friends who notify our Mission Advancement Office of their intention to benefit St. Croix Lutheran High School in their estate plan and/or make an endowment gift. Gift arrangements which qualify include:

•  Wills
•  Charitable Trusts
•  Gifts of Life Insurance
•  Gift Annuities
•  Retained Life Estates
•  Retirement Plan beneficiary designations
•  Endowed Funds
•  Others

Acknowledgement
Members of the Lea A. and Elsie L. Wildung Society will receive a membership certificate suitable for display and will be the President’s guests at the annual Lea A. and Elsie L. Wildung Society Reception.  St. Croix hosts the dinner on the fourth Sunday in September each year to bring the Society together, update them on the school's ministry, and thank them for remembering St. Croix with a legacy gift.

For more information about the Wildung Society, or general estate planning, please contact
Pastor Bill Schaefer.