Stephanie L. Fiedler Memorial Scholarship

Having experienced the loss of four children through miscarriages, including a daughter lost in the sixth month of pregnancy, Don and Deloris Fiedler refer to Stephanie as their “miracle child.” Stephanie was born a healthy baby on March 8, 1969 at Bryan Memorial Hospital in Lincoln, Neb.

After graduation from Pius X High School in 1987, Stephanie received a degree in fashion merchandising from the Colorado Institute of Art. From there she embarked on a 10-year career with Neiman Marcus that culminated with her joining the senior team in Scottsdale, Ariz. where she lived the last two years of her life.

On August 18, 2000, Stephanie learned she had cancer. After several months of treatment, it went into remission for a short time. The cancer eventually returned in a more serious way, and in September 2001 the doctors said Stephanie would not make it through the night. She did however, and the family was given three more months to prepare.

Shortly before her death on December 10, 2001, Stephanie’s last words to her parents were, “Sit down, be quiet.” While they were puzzled at the time, they soon came to believe that Stephanie was focused completely on God in those final moments.

The Fiedlers maintain that God works in ways that we may never understand during this lifetime. Perhaps one way is by bringing joy to Stephanie’s parents as they help other young people in her honor and memory, making lasting bonds between those who might have otherwise remained strangers.

Stephanie often said that attending Pius X made her an organized person and she valued her high school friendships. The Fiedlers created an endowed scholarship in October 2003 because they wanted to help other students to experience the Catholic education and receive the moral direction that their daughter did at Pius X.

Excerpts from student thank you letters


Past awardees share how receiving the scholarship made an impact in their lives:

“Thank you so much for this scholarship, as it will greatly help my family and I this year. I like attending Pius X because of all the lifelong friendships and relationships I have made with my friends and teachers…At Pius X, some of my favorite subjects are anatomy and physiology, along with trigonometry and statistics. These are some of my favorites because I hope to pursue a job in the medical field someday. I have been dancing for over 15 years, and at Pius X High School, I have involved with the dance team for three years, and this year will be my fourth and final year….I also have a part-time job…At whichever college I go to, I would like to study to become a pediatric radiologist. I chose this career path because I have always had an interest in radiology, and I think it would be great to work with children at the same time. I thank you again for this scholarship and I am so thankful and appreciative of it.”

“Thank you so much for offering this scholarship to students of Pius X High School. I feel honored to be the student to receive this scholarship. Having read the back story behind this scholarship, I admire the final words Stephanie said to her parents. I think our world needs to accept the importance of silence in our loud and wild world we live in….Pius has given me so many amazing opportunities to grow in my faith, education, talents, and has also helped me to grow as a person overall. Some of these amazing opportunities are Varsity Softball, Varsity Show Choir, Choir, Campus Ministry, and Ambassadors. One of the things I love about Pius is the openness to Catholicism. It’s such a blessing to go to a school every day that accepts open conversations about the faith. Through Pius, I have been able to grow closer and closer to my faith….I have been praying and discerning what I want to study in college. The plan that I have right now is to study Psychology to hopefully become a counselor.”

Fiedler Stephanie
Fund Purpose/Criteria
Scholarships for female students with good grades
Established in 2003
Students Supported: 20+

Donate to this scholarship by typing the fund name into the designation box on our donation form.

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