By Krystal Moralee
Some gifts arrive without wrapping paper or ceremony. They come in the form of a very personal decision about what will happen to the fruits of a lifetime of effort when you’re no longer here to have a say.
We see a lot of that at the Community Foundation, and we take very seriously our role in ensuring those gifts are used in a way that honors the person who gave them.
“Here at the Foundation, we value long-term donor relations,” said Randy Maiers, President and CEO. “We don’t have annual fundraising goals. Sometimes we spend years cultivating a person’s trust and confidence leading to the day when they’re ready to make their most impactful gift, their last gift.”
In 2025, the Foundation received two “last gifts” – unexpected estate contributions that will shape the future of the community for generations. The year began with a generous estate gift from Shirley Wilson and ended with another from a woman whose quiet offerings had already touched the Foundation for nearly two decades.
Joan Andresen lived to be 102 years old. By the time she passed away in July 2025, she had lived through a century of change, but the values that shaped her life remained steady: work hard, care about your community, and help where you can.
Born in Pontiac in 1923, Joan was raised with a deep respect for family and responsibility. She attended school in Ann Arbor, graduated from business school, and later served as an administrative assistant to a colonel in the U.S. Army. After the war, she married I. Ralph Andresen in 1946 and eventually moved to the Port Huron area.
Her life was rich with ordinary joys – time with friends, rounds of golf at the Port Huron Golf Club, long afternoons playing bridge – and she was also deeply involved in her community. She served for many years on the board of the Sanborn Gratiot Memorial Home, building friendships and offering guidance to an organization that provides care for older adults.
Joan’s relationship with the Community Foundation began in 2006 with her first donation, and over the years she supported several funds, including the Community Foundation Programs and Services Fund, the Community Investment Fund, and the Sanborn Gratiot Memorial Home Fund. They are organizations and initiatives that reflected the missions she cared about most, and her modest gifts made faithfully over time are what the Foundation affectionately calls “checkbook” gifts. Those steady contributions tell a tale of trust.
The Foundation kept Joan informed about its work and its impact, reinforcing how local philanthropy can strengthen organizations, support nonprofits, and respond to emerging opportunities and challenges across the region. Perhaps that is why Joan made such an impactful decision about her legacy.
With the help of a professional advisor, she created an estate plan that included a significant gift to the Community Foundation – her final and largest gift.
The story of Joan’s final gift reflects thoughtful planning that allows generosity to extend beyond a person’s lifetime. Estate planning is less about wealth than it is about intention, and having a written plan in place can ensure your wishes are honored while reducing burden on your survivors. Without a plan, families can face lengthy legal proceedings and uncertainty at a time when they are already grieving.
It can also create opportunities for generosity.
In Joan Andresen’s case, the causes she supported during her lifetime will continue to benefit from her generosity long into the future.
Shirley Wilson worked with a professional advisor to include the Community Foundation in her estate plans, even though she had not made prior gifts during her lifetime. Her decision demonstrates another important truth about philanthropy: a legacy gift does not require decades of giving beforehand. Sometimes the most meaningful act of generosity happens in a single, carefully considered step.
Though they are no longer with us, Joan and Shirley’s gifts will support community programs, nonprofit organizations, and future opportunities across St. Clair County for years to come.
“I can’t think of a higher compliment to the work of our Community Foundation, than when someone gives us the final gift of their lifetime,” added Maiers.
If you are interested in learning more about creating your own legacy, you can contact the Jackie Hanton, Vice President, at jackie@stclairfoundation.org or 810-984-4761 for confidential guidance about estate planning and charitable giving. Conversations are simple, private, and focused on helping donors align their plans with the causes they care about most, because the last gift someone leaves behind can also be the first chapter of something lasting.