Few of us like to think about the end of life—but planning ahead can be one of the most meaningful ways to shape our legacies. Should the unthinkable happen—an unforeseen accident or illness—that leaves you unable to make medical or financial decisions, your final wishes may go undocumented. And should you pass away suddenly without an estate plan, who would make decisions on your behalf regarding your estate?
The answer: the state of Washington, or whichever state you reside in, will decide through intestate succession laws how your assets—such as your house, car, and bank accounts—are distributed, and these one-size-fits-all laws, which may vary from state to state, may not align with your priorities and intentions.
Having your estate plan in place streamlines the process for your loved ones and ensures that your wishes are carried out. In particular, for those who wish to leave a legacy gift to Washington State University, a properly structured estate plan is essential for ensuring that your values and intentions are honored, allowing you to not only give to WSU but also specify how that gift should be used long after you have departed this world.
A love story rooted in higher education
Joel ’84 and Collete Loiacono are lifetime Cougar fans who love Cougar sports events and the WSU community. They have spent most of their adult life residing in Spokane, not that far from Pullman, and are grateful for all the years they have enjoyed WSU sports and activities.
Joel and Colette are grateful for their college educations that prepared them for a future they would not have had without that education, and they wanted to leave a gift that would “pay it forward.”
After attending WSU on an ROTC scholarship and graduating with a degree in political science, Joel served more than eight years of active duty in the Army before transitioning to the Army Reserve, serving an additional 22 years that included a deployment to Kabul, Afghanistan, where he received the Bronze Star. He retired as a lieutenant colonel.
Colette earned her degree in business administration from Eastern Washington University, and after graduating, took a job at EWU, where she built an extensive career.
She was working in the dean’s office as part of the financial team when Joel, an assistant professor of military science teaching ROTC, came into the dean’s office to use the fax machine. Colette assisted him, and Joel later asked her out on a date. They married in 1992.
Joel and Colette are proud of WSU’s mission to educate students and its history of advancements in agriculture, medicine, and engineering, which have been an engine for the state’s economy. When explaining why they wanted to make a gift to the university, Joel was quick to list some of those advancements—“research in improving the health and well-being of animals, development of top-yielding strains of wheat, research into treating Alzheimer’s disease, and development of technology used in 3D printing.” They wanted to support WSU in a meaningful way—and decided to make a significant impact through an estate plan.
In 2018, the Loiaconos met with Theresa Boyer in the Office of Gift Planning at the WSU Foundation to start the process of how they could support WSU.
Advance your legacy—along with WSU’s
When explaining their intentions, Joel said, “We want to leave a gift that not only pays it forward but will be a part of a WSU legacy of future accomplishment and impact.”
Having both attended small Washington high schools—Joel grew up in Walla Walla (DeSales High School) and Colette (St. John High School) on a cattle farm in the St. John area of Eastern Washington—both want to provide scholarships for students. Through their estate plans, they will fund an endowed scholarship for student-athletes who attended small Washington high schools with fewer than 200 students. “In our small-town worlds, we were blessed with the opportunity to go onto college, and we want to help others to have that same opportunity,” said Colette. They also included a bequest in their estate plans to support the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Collette had a 45-year career at EWU, retiring as the operations manager for EWU’s Regional Initiatives in Dental Education program. The two have also included EWU in their estate plans.
In addition to his military service, Joel had an extensive career in the nonprofit sector—retiring as the regional director of the Alzheimer’s Association—so he knows about estate gifts and the role they play in philanthropy as a powerful force for good.
Joel hopes that other Cougs step up “to pay it forward,” especially now when there are so many government cutbacks in funding scholarships and programs.
“Don’t find yourself on the sidelines. And don’t miss the opportunity to make a difference through your will,” said Joel. “It may, in fact, be one of the biggest ways you make an impact in your life—lasting long beyond your life.”
Whether you’re just beginning to think about your legacy or ready to take the next step, WSU’s Office of Gift Planning is here to help you create a lasting impact. If you would like to inquire about how to include WSU in your estate plan, contact Theresa Boyer, senior director of Gift Planning, at theresa.boyer@wsu.edu or at 509-358-7584.