Lisa Johnson’s Estate-Plan Gift Will Help Future Students Thrive

Lisa Johnson ’84 had thought for years about arranging for Gustavus to receive a gift from her estate after her lifetime. What she hadn’t expected was the sense of joy and fulfillment she would feel once she did so.

“When I started working on my estate plan, I quickly realized that it’s less about financial decisions than about emotional ones,” said Lisa. “I’m not concerned about the tax break my estate receives after I’m gone. I feel grateful to know that my resources will leave a lasting mark on the causes that matter most to me, including Gustavus.”

For Lisa, participation in athletics was an essential ingredient in the holistic education she received at Gustavus—one that nourished her mind, body, and spirit. She also built lifelong friendships through gymnastics and her athletic training major. With her planned gift, Lisa aims to ensure that the College’s athletics program remains vibrant for years to come.

“It’s harder these days for young people to thrive,” said Lisa. “College is more expensive. There are challenges I didn’t face as a young person. Gustavus supports students through those challenges. As a student, I never lacked support: my coaches, professors, sorority sisters, and others lifted me up. Support like that makes a huge difference.”

Far from a complicated and arduous process, Lisa found it quite easy to design her planned gift. Her estate plan is documented in a living trust, a straightforward legal document that supplants a will and bypasses the bureaucratic probate system. Her gift to Gustavus will be funded by the sale of her second home: the trust will sell the home and direct the proceeds to the College. Lisa’s gift will be divided between three endowed funds for gymnastics, athletic training, and women’s athletics. Because endowed funds are designed to last in perpetuity, Lisa’s gift will make a permanent impact on the parts of Gustavus she loves most.

“I don’t have children of my own, so I never got to support kids pursuing higher education. But higher education is really important to me, especially the kind offered at Gustavus. This gift is my way of helping future generations of students to thrive.”