DARLENE ENGLER - LIFELONG FRIEND OF ST. JUDE MEDICAL CENTER

Darlene Engler grew up in La Habra next door to Dr. Ramiro Fernandez, one of the founders of St. Jude. Darlene became best friends with Dr. Fernandez's daughter, Dianne (now Krallman).

Dianne says, "Darlene and her sister were constantly in and out of the Fernandez house and were very much a part of the family." Darlene was very artistic herself, and she married Richard Engler, a commercial artist. When Richard became ill and was admitted to St. Jude Medical Center, Darlene spent many hours at his side. She was deeply impressed with the nursing care Richard received at St. Jude.

Sadly, Darlene passed away in 2010 leaving a sizeable bequest to St. Jude. Her motivation for giving to St. Jude was the wonderful care that her husband received during his lengthy treatment for a terminal illness as well as her lifelong loyalty to Dr. Fernandez and his family.

Darlene's generosity will help us equip the new Northwest Tower with state-of the-art technology which will save lives and improve the health of members of our community. The Northwest Tower (scheduled to open December 2014) is one of our current funding priorities. The tower demonstrates St. Jude's commitment to ensure our community will continue to have the quality medical care it needs and deserves for the next 50 years and beyond.