April 24, 2023 Celebrating a loved one with a legacy gift

When Eldred and Joyce Classen’s only child, Brent, died suddenly in 2015 at the age of 55, their lives were never the same, says Brent’s lifelong friend, Tracy Hamilton. Brent had been diagnosed with diabetes as an adult, and told her he had made changes to his diet to better manage the condition.

The Classens, who were originally from Saskatchewan, moved to a farm in Nanaimo, B.C., married, and later in 1960, their son Brent was born. “The family was extremely close and happiest when spending time together and enjoying simple pleasures like an afternoon of mini golf,” says Tracy.

Although all three family members are now gone, their legacy lives on, says Tracy. Having promised Brent that she would take care of his parents if anything happened to him, she helped the Classens move into a retirement home after they sold their house. Unfortunately, Joyce never fully recovered from her son’s death and experienced health challenges, and she died from an aneurysm, just as her son had in 2017.

“After Joyce passed, I continued to visit Eldred. We shopped together and at Christmas, I would drive him to charities of his choice to drop off cheques for $5,000,” she says. When the pandemic hit in 2020, Tracy was unable to visit Eldred, but in 2022, he called her shortly before he died. “He’d pre-planned his entire estate and left behind a gift of nearly $400,000 to help support the work of Diabetes Canada," she says.

Eldred and Joyce’s gift shows us how much good there is in the world—and how each one of us can have a life-changing impact. Every gift adds up to make more research possible and living with diabetes easier for so many people.

“Diabetes Canada could not do what we do without the generosity of families like the Classens. Their legacy will impact others for generations to come,” says Denise Fernandes, Diabetes Canada’s high end giving executive director. “Every gift matters, and we are so grateful to Eldred and his family and the difference they have made for those living with diabetes.”

Did you know?

May is Leave a Legacy month. Legacy giving is a way to leave a generous and lasting gift and support a cause you care about. Make Diabetes Canada an important part of your life story just as Eldred and Joyce have. Visit Leave a Legacy for Diabetes Canada now to learn more.