The Chet and Irene Lindsey Endowment Fund was established as a Field of Interest Fund by their daughter Ann Lindsey Gordon and son-in-law Dave Gordon. The fund will serve civic, humanitarian, cultural, recreational, aesthetic, environmental and educational needs in Chippewa Falls and the Lake Wissota area.

Irene Tschopp Lindsey moved to Chippewa Falls as a baby with her parents and, except for two years at Lawrence University in the Music Conservatory Program, spent her entire life in the community. She was a life-long member of Chippewa's Methodist Church, now Trinity Methodist, where she directed the choir for 18 years. A generation of Chippewa children will remember her patiently teaching them to play the piano.

Chet grew up in Oshkosh, Wisconsin and graduated from the State Teachers College in Oshkosh in 1927 and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1934. He moved to Chippewa Falls to teach manual arts at the Northern Colony where he met Irene. They were married in 1933 and had two daughters: Ann (Lindsey) Gordon from Chippewa Falls, WI and Catherine (Lindsey) Brown from Minneapolis, MN.

Irene taught music at the Northern Colony and Training School for 30 years. After her children were married, she returned to college at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and was awarded a B.A. in music in 1971. She was an active member of numerous community and civic organizations including P.E.O., Women's Club and Eastern Star.

Chet taught manual training (woodworking/carpentry) at the Northern Colony for 40 years, retiring in 1968. Many people in Chippewa will remember learning furniture refinishing from him at the Chippewa Falls Vocational School where he taught for 33 years. Chet served on various boards and committees of the Methodist Church and was a member of the Masons, the Shrine and the Elks. He loved the outdoors and enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Chet and Irene spent summers at a small Lake Wissota cottage built in the 1930s by Irene's parents-Henry and Anna (Mortenson) Tschopp. Henry was one of the co-founder's of Tschopp-Durch-Camastral Company. The Lake Wissota property is still owned and enjoyed by Ann and her family.

Their children--Ann and Dave Gordon and Cathy and Marc Brown-and their families hope that the funds will benefit the Chippewa Falls community and the Lake Wissota area in memory of Chet and Irene Lindsey.