This legacy of love is a perpetual gift
IT BEGINS WITH A CHEMIST AND A MIDDLE SCHOOL ART TEACHER, ORIGINALLY FROM CHICAGO, WHO FOUND THEIR WAY TO SARASOTA COUNTY AND SELBY GARDENS FOLLOWING A LONG AGO HONEYMOON IN SOUTH FLORIDA.
It ends with a shared love of this tropical, urban oasis on Sarasota Bay that has transcended one life and will come to have a lasting impact on the Gardens’ ability to teach and inspire future generations of students.
Joseph and Margarethe Strosnik – Joe and Marge – initially fell in love with the bright, vivid colors of the Florida landscape and a climate that made year-round golf possible. So they made Bonita Springs an annual vacation destination before permanently relocating to North Port in 2006. That was when Marge fell instantaneously and hopelessly in love with Selby Gardens. “Any excuse to visit the Gardens was a good one,” Joe recalls. “Whenever we entertained out-of-town company, Selby was at the top of any itinerary.” She wasn’t partial to any one particular area either – the entire Gardens was her paradise. She especially loved the ever-changing botanical displays in the Tropical Conservatory and “she would have flipped over the Children’s Rainforest Garden.”
Sadly, Marge lost a valiant fight against cancer before the Children’s Rainforest Garden was completed. The love of Joe’s life was born to teach – her passion for education was sealed forever during her 6th grade year. He wanted to do something special to memorialize Marge’s legacy. With the help of his estate attorney and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, he established a donor designated gift to the Gardens that, in his words, means “now she can teach forever.”
“This gift is significant on many levels,” explains Selby’s Chief Development Officer Ann Logan. “As an annual gift it enables us to plan. During Joe’s lifetime, he can envision and help shape the impact he wanted to have. And the $1 million legacy gift will serve to significantly enrich our educational offerings here in the Gardens.”
Knowing this gift would make Marge happy brings Joe contentment. He is planning a jubilant celebration of life for his beloved soon in the Gardens they loved together. “Selby. Teaching. Kids. These are the things that mattered to her. When our friends gather here to remember Marge, hopefully they’ll see she really isn’t gone.” The legacy of a life well-lived can now live on forever, bringing the wonders of the natural world to life for children who never got to meet – but will benefit from – the generosity of a very special couple.
HAVE YOU CONSIDERED CREATING A LEGACY AT SELBY GARDENS? Contact Ann Logan (941) 366-5731, ext. 266 or alogan@s33944.p20.sites.pressdns.com