Foundation announces new health care scholarship in Jefferson County

FAIRFIELD — The Greater Jefferson County Foundation has announced a new scholarship that will be available for students going into the health care field.

Fairfield residents Edd and Darlene Felgar left $200,000 in their estate to create a new scholarship. The Edd and Darlene Memorial Scholarship will be awarded to up to three qualifying students per year, who will each receive $3,000 toward their studies at Indian Hills Community College. The scholarship is open to students who wish to go into many different areas of health care from medical school to EMT training.

Applications open Dec. 1 and close Feb. 1, 2022. Those interested in learning more details about this and other foundation scholarships can contact the foundation by calling 641-472-0758 or emailing gjcf0758@windstream.net.

Barbara Kistler, administrator of the foundation, said the foundation is “humbly grateful for all the scholarship donations we’ve received. The youth of Jefferson County have adults who want to see them success in their careers. I wish I had these scholarships when I was in school.”

Renee Rebling was a personal friend of the Felgars and once worked with Darlene at Iowa State Bank. Rebling said the Felgars had always wanted to set up a scholarship of some sort.

“They knew they’d have quite a bit of money in their estate, and they wanted to leave it for our community,” Rebling said. “I was on the Greater Jefferson County Foundation Board at the time they started discussing [their will], and I mentioned the great work that the foundation does with our scholarships. They thought that was a great idea.”

Darlene contracted pancreatic cancer and spent several months at Parkview Care Center in Fairfield before her death in 2012.

“She was so well cared for by the nurses and the nurses’ aides,” Rebling said. “Special people work in that field, and they wanted to help students in the community go into it.”

John Morrissey, who was the Felgars’ attorney for four decades, said the couple thought highly of the quality of medical care in Jefferson County and wanted to see that quality continue. Edd had to be treated on a few occasions at the Jefferson County Health Center for respiratory problems before his death in 2019.

Morrissey said the Felgars were always generous with their money during their lives, contributing thousands of dollars toward camperships through the Arc of Jefferson and Nearby Counties for local residents to attend Camp Courageous. After Darlene’s death, Edd gave $20,000 toward the McElhinny Foundation because Darlene was a longtime member of the Fairfield Women’s Club that keeps up the McElhinny House. Edd gave $30,000 to the Fairfield Police Department’s K-9 fund, which was special to him since he was a former Fairfield police officer.

Morrissey said this new health care scholarship is one of many projects being funded through the Felgars’ estate. He said they devoted about three-quarters of their savings — $1.5 million — to the community. Apart from the Salvation Army, Red Cross and their church, the Felgars earmarked a couple of large bequests to go toward the Fairfield Park and Rec Foundation for new bathrooms at Chautauqua Park and to the Jefferson County Fair Board to enlarge the track at the fairgrounds and add bleachers.

Edd and Darlene were married 56 years, all of which were spent on their farm east of Fairfield on Walton Road. Rebling said the Fairfield community was everything to them, and they were both active in many clubs and organizations. Darlene was a member of the Fairfield Women’s Club and the Garden Department, the Jefferson County Hospital Auxiliary and the Red Hat Ladies. Edd, often called by his nickname “Fast Eddie,” was a member of the Lions Club, received the honor of “Lion of the Year,” and in 2013 was presented with the Iowa Volunteerism Award by then Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.