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Donor Impact Stories

Leaving Legacies of Love: The Cole Wehunt Fund

Parents honor late son's legacy through fund at CFT

Bill and Kay Wehunt's son Cole was an accomplished student who received the Dr. Anson Clark Scholarship at CFT toward his education at Texas Christian University. Cole was an Eagle Scout, scholar, athlete, and band member during his high school years. He had two years at TCU before he tragically passed away in a car accident in 1990 on the way to a band picnic. He had thrived at TCU as a Chancellor’s Scholar, president of the band, president of his music fraternity, and part of the cheerleading team.

“Cole lived more in his 20 years than most people do in a lifetime,” recalled Kay. “He had a full and meaningful life. He was our only child and our best friend. Despite how hard it was, we immediately decided that we wouldn’t let his death ruin our lives, because that’s not the legacy Cole would have wanted for our family.”

This year, Cole would have turned 50. This summer marks 30 years since the Wehunts and our community lost Cole. Kay noted that the legacy Cole left behind was one of generosity through the quality of the relationships he built. Cole’s friends are still a big part of the Wehunt family’s lives — they now have honorary grandchildren all over Dallas and Tarrant County.

“Over the years, we made some charitable gifts in Cole’s honor, but wanted to think more deeply about our estate planning. Cole benefited greatly from his CFT scholarship, so we reached out to CFT to learn how we could partner with them on our own charitable giving beyond our lifetimes,” said Bill. Kay added, “Bill’s grandfather was a minister and we knew how much he appreciated unrestricted gifts, so we decided to establish a donor-advised fund through our estate that CFT’s team of experts will administer to where they know the greatest needs are.”

Bill and Kay are members of CFT’s Live Oak Society and noted that they find peace of mind in knowing that their estate will become a gift to the community. “Cole inspired giving. He was such a generous person. We wanted to give back to our community because North Texas was Cole’s home and where he thrived growing up,” said Kay.

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