‘The Queen’s’ Legacy

Jean Heagy came from modest means. Over time, her savings grew into substantial wealth through careful stewarding of investments. Independent, deeply caring, and humble, her kindness compelled her to leave a generous bequest to her family and the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH).

Jean grew up in West Virginia but moved to Washington, D.C. with her sister in 1943. She worked for 27 years at the National Security Agency and admired the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for its impactful cancer research. Because her beloved husband and two siblings had died of cancer, Jean was inspired to support cancer research at the NIH through a gift from her estate.

Adored by family and community, Jean never ignored someone in need. She regularly offered to listen or lend a hand. She also enjoyed bowling and attended church every Sunday. Jean had a glowing warmth about her, which her family reciprocated by nicknaming her ‘The Queen.’

After retiring, Jean’s travels took her all over the world. She returned to West Virginia and stayed active until her 90s when growing health issues made it necessary for her to move to a rehabilitation facility. Even there, Jean’s personality shone so brightly that her friends crowned her “the Queen of the second floor.”

When Jean’s niece, Denise Linton, learned about her aunt’s bequest, she reached out to the FNIH for their ability to steward gifts that advance biomedical research. Through its partnership with the NIH, the FNIH was able to direct the estate’s funds to support innovative research in precision medicine at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a part of the NIH, according to Jean’s wishes.

Like Jean’s, your legacy gift to the FNIH will support exciting research collaborations to find new and improved ways to diagnose, treat and care for patients with cancer and other devastating diseases.

To learn how you, too, can support the FNIH through your estate plan, please contact the Advancement department at (301) 402-5343 or advancement@fnih.org.