The Chester Stephan Endowment Fund was created in February 2022 through dedicated charitable funds from the estate of Theodore R. Stephan. The endowed fund is intended to support national grief outreach and advocacy through engaging educational resources such as Dougy Center’s podcast, Grief Out Loud
The fund honors John C. (Chester) Stephan, Theodore’s older brother, who was killed in a traffic accident when he was 12 years old in the 1930s. The death of Chester was cataclysmic for the family. Without any resources to help the remaining children and the parents with their grief, the tragedy tore the family apart and its unreconciled trauma lingered for many years to come. This fund is being established in Chester’s name in order to create a legacy of support for families who are grieving across the nation.
