Two Stillwater brothers who recently died have left $2.6 million to help more students attend St. Croix Catholic School, the school announced Thursday.
The gift from bachelors John and Jean DeCurtins will create a tuition assistance endowment for the school, which has 308 students in grades pre-K-8.
“The Lord has been so good to us in ways we will never be able to number,” Principal Sister Maria Ivana said in a news release.
The school has an existing endowment of around $3.9 million to help with operating expenses. The DeCurtins brothers’ gift will fund a separate endowment specifically for tuition assistance.
Officials still are figuring out how the new scholarships will be formulated, but they expect the funds will enable more students to enroll at the school, including those from families that never considered private school because of the cost. Families now pay up to $5,350 per child in tuition.
“With this endowed gift, our hope is that more families will consider the impact a Catholic education at SCCS can have on their children, where we unite with families to form scholars, disciples and servant leaders,” the school told the Pioneer Press.
The DeCurtins brothers were longtime Stillwater residents who lived together in the home where they grew up. They were members of the Church of St. Michael.
John, who worked as a surveyor for Washington County, died in 2018 at age 95.
Jean, who dug holes for Northern States Power Co., was 100 when he died in 2019.
Both men had served in World War II, and Jean was the last surviving member of the A&D Last Man’s Club, a Stillwater-area social club that began with 180 infantrymen.
“Jean and John valued education, and their generous gifts will provide opportunities for so many children,” friend Lori Houston said.