New scholarship fund honors legacy of Imlay City couple

IMLAY CITY — Throughout their lives, Tommy and Terrie Stalker were known for helping others, often tending to people during their most vulnerable moments. Tommy spent 33 years as a paramedic and first responder, while Terrie worked as a nurse in area nursing homes.

Now, their legacy of community service will continue through the next generation.

To honor their lives, their son, Benjamin Stalker, established the Tommy and Terrie Stalker Memorial Scholarship Fund. Administered through the Four County Community Foundation, the scholarship will aid graduating Lapeer County high school seniors pursuing higher education, certification, or training in nursing, emergency medical services, medicine, or related healthcare fields.

Terrie passed away in 2018 at age 64, and Tommy died in 2023 at age 68.

“My mom specialized in Alzheimer’s care, helping both patients and their families navigate the difficult emotions that come with the disease,” Benjamin said. “My dad started by volunteering with North Branch Ambulance, which later became Lapeer County EMS, where he served as a paramedic until his retirement. He also served as an instructor and field training officer, teaching and training new medics in Lapeer County and across Michigan.”

That instinct to care for others continued even when the couple faced their own medical challenges.

When hospitalized, Benjamin recalled, his parents often asked if student nurses or trainee medics could participate in their care or procedures.

“As my dad would say, ‘They will have to start doing procedures on a person at some point. Might as well be me,’” Benjamin said. “I also remember walking into my mom’s hospital room as a young nursing student was leaving. She was thanking my mom for teaching her a memorization trick for an upcoming exam. Even when my parents were in positions where they needed care themselves, they continued to think about how they could help others.”

In addition to their medical careers, the couple remained active in local organizations, including the Stone Soup Food Bank, Manna Ministries, FFA, and Boy Scout Troop 127.

“My dad was the dreamer — charging ahead with ideas — while my mother was the logistics manager who helped guide those ideas and figure out how to make them work,” Benjamin said, adding that he believes the scholarship will help keep his parents’ memory alive.

While Benjamin hopes the fund can award multiple scholarships annually within its first decade, his vision extends much further into the future.

“In 50 years, my dream would be for the endowment to have grown to the point where it could provide full scholarships for medical trades, undergraduate degrees, and perhaps even medical school,” he said. “I suppose I inherited a little bit of my dad’s visionary mindset.”

The scholarship fund’s first annual fundraiser will take place from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 31, at Hideaway Lanes in Almont. In addition to bowling, the event will feature a 50/50 raffle, a silent auction, food, and refreshments. Additional details and pre-registration information will be released later.

Donations to the fund can be made online at bit.ly/stalkerscholarship or by mailing a check to the Four County Community Foundation, 141 S. Main St., Romeo, MI 48065.

The Four County Community Foundation serves portions of Lapeer, St. Clair, Macomb, and Oakland counties. For more information or details on starting a fund, visit 4ccf.org, call 810-798-0909, or contact Executive Director Kathy Dickens at kdickens@4ccf.org.