Careful Planning Leads to HSMO Support

Rosemarie Kirchhoefer spread happiness wherever she went. As her godson, Joe Gleich, and his brother, Jim, described it, if she wasn’t singing, she was dancing, and if she wasn’t dancing, she was teaching others to dance. Rosemarie spent the last two decades of her life volunteering at senior centers, teaching square dancing and entertaining the residents.

Rosemarie and her husband, Albert, lived simply. Rosemarie worked at Southwestern Bell as a customer service supervisor after attending Saint Louis University to study business. Albert returned from the war and worked at Westinghouse for a time, but ultimately became a mail carrier. They lived in South Saint Louis City and belonged to St. Cecilia’s Parish.

When Albert passed away, Rosemarie threw herself into her lifelong love of music, dancing and animals. Joe remembers her as a surrogate mother to many, making sure people and pets around her were cared for and fed.

Joe and Jim remember Rosemarie as an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan and dedicated lover of all living creatures.

“There wasn’t a time at Rosemarie’s home without a dog and two cats roaming about,” Joe muses.

Through her careful planning, Rosemarie provided for her pets in her estate along with a distribution to the Humane Society of Missouri.

As was the case with Rosemarie, it is necessary to review—and considering revising—your estate plan as the circumstances of your life change. It is never too early to draft an estate plan especially if you intend to provide for both your human and animal friends after your passing. Please keep in mind that if you do not have a legal document detailing your wishes, the state will distribute your assets according to the law probably without supporting your pets.

Support Your Future and Ours Today

To learn more about supporting HSMO, like Rosemarie, contact our Development Office at (314) 951-1542 to get started.