Leaving a Legacy: Stephen Stilp

Aquinas Catholic Schools is blessed to have generous, thoughtful, and sometimes very creative support from members of the Aquinas family. Alumni, parents, staff, businesses, and friends continue to provide for our schools by making an impact in a variety of ways including: cash gifts, gifts of stock, memorial and honorary gifts, bequests, charitable trusts, and gifts of real estate.

Stephen R. Stilp III, a loyal supporter of the school system, chose to provide for the future of Aquinas through a gift of life insurance. Stephen served four years with the United States Navy before starting his career as a pilot. After nearly 30 years of flying internationally, Stephen and his wife, Patricia (Muehr '66), relocated to Pilot's Nob Farm in rural Ettrick. When the mortgage on their land was paid in full, Stephen converted his life insurance to a Knights of Columbus policy, naming Aquinas as its owner and beneficiary. For 18 years, the policy was maintained until Stephen's passing on January 4, 2014.

Stephen held Aquinas in high regard – his wife, her parents, and his youngest daughter, Mary Jo '96, are all alumni. During her time at Aquinas, Mary Jo was active in the arts, and she pursued a career in music after graduating from college. As much as Mary Jo loved performing, her parents loved watching her perform, so support of the Aquinas Campbell Theatre Renovation was an obvious choice when it came time for Patricia to decide how Aquinas could best use the benefits from Stephen's life insurance policy.

The Stilp name will live on in our beautiful new facility, which will inspire young performers and make parents like Stephen and Patricia proud for years to come. Bravo!