BREVARD — Dr. Marion Underhill’s influence as a lifelong educator will continue even after death thanks to the generous $300,000 gift she left as an endowment to support religious education for youth at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Brevard.
“This endowment will be a tremendous blessing to our parish,” said Father Shawn O’Neal, pastor of Sacred Heart. “Marion’s gift to us reflects her lifelong passion for educating young people. I am grateful for her legacy that she leaves here at Sacred Heart, and we are committed to making sure it makes a real difference.”
Underhill passed away in November 2022 at age 97 in her beloved Brevard. Her extensive background in education began when she attended State Teachers College, Columbia University in New York and the University of Delaware, where she received a doctoral degree in theology.
She spent her career as a high school English teacher before retiring to Brevard in 1988. She was an active member of Sacred Heart, serving as a Eucharistic minister and tutoring students at local schools throughout the region, including Brevard College, and the Schenck Job Corps, a conservation initiative operated by the U.S. Forest Service.
Former 11th-grade English student Bal Hoeffner fondly remembers Underhill. “She loved teaching her students. Many of us spent time after school and on some weekends visiting her home.” Former student Arlene Hoff Cooper added, “She was the best teacher I ever had. She was a warm and loving mentor to all her students. I am privileged to have known her.”
Sacred Heart has played an important role in the religious education of generations. The parish’s roots date back to the early 1940s when a mission was formed to serve Catholics from in and around Pisgah forest, where the Ecusta Paper Corp. drove Catholic employees in a station wagon to Sunday Mass at Immaculate
Conception in nearby Hendersonville. As the population grew, through the efforts of a few dedicated families Sacred Heart was built and was formally dedicated by
Bishop Vincent Waters of Raleigh on Aug. 28, 1949.
Underhill’s endowment will help the next generation of young Catholics learn, explore and prepare for life’s challenges ahead.
“Having opportunities to get out of the classroom and experience the love and mercy of God amongst their peers and within the community is where true encounter takes place,” said Jenni Pogue, Sacred Heart’s office manager. “ This new Marion L. Underhill Memorial Endowment will help ensure that such opportunities will continue to be available to our young people.”
“The entire diocese expresses gratitude for Underhill and more than 1,600 people like her who have or are remembering the church in their estate plans,” said Development Director Jim Kelley. “These individuals think in advance about how to help others and to make the Catholic faith accessible to more people.”
“Marion Underhill was a teacher at heart and took steps to ensure future generations would experience the benefits of religious education,” he added. “She lived a wonderfully long life, teaching countless children in school and at church – and her gift will continue that legacy.”
— Courtney McLaughlin, Special to the Catholic News Herald