Endowed education fund established at refuge
Nancy Minster and Diane Husk recently established the William & Helen Kronmueller Education Fund to honor the memory of their parents and to support educational programs at the “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge.
Married in 1954, the Kronmuellers lived and worked in St. Louis, Missouri, where they led a quiet life that included summer vacations to new and exciting places within the United States. They continued to visit the Fort Myers and Sanibel area into their retirement years.
“The natural beauty and quiet pace allowed them to enjoy beach walks and wildlife sightings, especially within the refuge,” their daughters told the “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society-Friends of the Refuge when they established the fund with the refuge’s nonprofit arm.
After William Kronmuellers’s death, his wife continued to visit the refuge with Husk. She last visited in December 2019 at age 92, and especially loved spotting birds and alligators.
“They believed that one should never stop learning; that learning should continue throughout life,” Husk said. “They would be thrilled that a fund was established in their honor, knowing that support for the things they learned to love in nature will remain for future generations — inspiring children and future conservation stewards to learn more about birds, other wildlife, and their habitats.”
“An endowed education fund will continue to keep the Kronmueller’s legacy alive by supporting conservation education programs at the refuge and inspiring our future stewards to embrace a community and value our natural spaces like they did,” DDWS Executive Director Birgie Miller said. “We are so thankful to their family for this support. What a thoughtful way to remember loved ones.”
Donors can establish named endowed funds for $10,000 or more and work with the DDWS staff to designate them for their areas of interest or leave them as unrestricted. Endowments can fund individual projects or ongoing education, intern, programming, research or other specific needs.
To establish an endowed fund, contact Miller at 239-472-1100, ext. 232.