Commitment: Michael’s and Cherie’s Gifts of Love and Legacy

The late Michael Kurtz and his late wife, Cherie Loustaunau, were partners in life and philanthropy. Michael passed away in December of 2022, just days shy of Christmas, but before he left us, he was able to share his compassionate story about Cherie.

When Michael spoke about his late wife, Cherie, tears welled up in his eyes as he shared a vivid and loving memory of her. “As she was preparing to go to the hospital for the final time, I remember her sitting at her desk writing out the last batch of checks to go out to her designated [charity] organizations. She was that dedicated,” he said. “It was a painful moment but it is illustrative of who she was.”

Cherie, who retired after 44 years at the U.S. Department of Commerce, made time for the causes closest to her heart, routinely donating and serving on nonprofit boards and committees. So, when Michael decided to contact the Community Foundation to open an additional legacy fund in Cherie’s name, he didn’t think twice. He knew exactly where her heart was during her life. “I want to keep her name alive; that’s my motivation,” said Michael, who set up a Donor Advised Fund and two legacy estate gifts through CFAAC, including the Cherie Loustaunau Memorial Fund for the benefit of the Anne Arundel Women Giving Together (AAWGT), an endowed fund supported through his IRA that will impact the community in perpetuity. Cherie was a life member of AAWGT.

“Cherie’s whole approach to philanthropy was as it was in everything in life,” said Michael. “She did her research and made her decisions. She was very disciplined about getting money to the organizations, and she stayed in contact with them.”

MICHAEL BELIEVED IT WAS IMPORTANT TO HAVE AN ESTATE PLAN, AND IN IT, LEGACY INTENTIONS

So, in 2018, he established the Dr. Michael J. Kurtz Fund, a Donor Advised Fund, and named a successor advisor to continue his donations after his death. Michael also thought strategically about how he could expand his charitable giving after his lifetime and donated a life insurance policy to CFAAC to fund the Dr. Michael J. Kurtz Legacy Fund, making additional annual gifts to the Community Foundation to pay the premiums on the policy. Throughout the years, Michael communicated with the CFAAC staff about the charities he wished to benefit from the policy as his interests changed, and in 2021, updated his fund agreement to support the Wellness House of Annapolis.

“I would say that most of us do not think about our legacies and if we do, we think about what we are giving to our children and our grandchildren; often not beyond,” he explained. “My feeling is that if we don’t leave something to the community that we care about, then society as a whole and the society in which our children and grandchildren live in becomes poorer.”

Most importantly, Michael made it clear that Cherie’s legacy was more than the financial gifts she gave. “She was a woman who had a strong social conscious, a strong sense of responsibility, and the discipline and desire to follow through—all motivated by a very kind heart.”