Irrevocable Trust Will Help Sustain Scholarship and Opportunity for Future Generations

Heidi Coutu and John Maturo C'72

Opportunity has been a defining theme in John Maturo C’72’s life. In 1968, when he was 14, Cranbrook became the next great opportunity—encouraged by a Kingswood graduate who urged his parents to seek an interview and a chance at scholarship support. John stepped into the academic and athletic life of Cranbrook ready to rise to the challenge.

“The expectations were high, the community was close, and the intellectual spirit was demanding and inspiring,” John recalls. “It instilled curiosity, discipline, and the confidence to aim high.”

Those lessons shaped the course of his life. John went on to play football at Yale, serve as a Navy JAG officer, lead within international business, and later return to Yale University as an administrator and resident fellow. He credits Cranbrook with providing the intellectual discipline and resilience that carried him through each chapter.

Now in their early seventies, John and his wife, Heidi Coutu, have turned their attention to legacy. As part of their estate planning, they established an irrevocable trust to provide lifetime income, protect the principal for their children, and ensure their charitable wishes are carried out. Ultimately, the trust will direct bequests to Cranbrook and to Mount Holyoke College, Heidi’s alma mater. At Cranbrook, the gift will support scholarship, helping ensure that future generations of students have the same opportunities John received.

“Education is the foundation of a life well lived,” John reflects. Including Cranbrook in their trust is, for him, a way to “pay back the investment made in me that made all the difference.” Through careful planning, John and Heidi are helping sustain that foundation for generations to come.

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