ASHEVILLE — An endowment being established at Asheville Catholic School honors the memory of brothers O’Brien and William Edward Gibbs.
Asheville Catholic School student William Edward, 10, and his 13-year-old brother, O’Brien, died Sept. 26, 2017, when the car they were riding in veered off Mills Gap Road and struck a tree. Their older brother and their mother, Jo Gibbs Landreth, were injured.
The endowment fund is being set up using the proceeds of this year’s annual Shamrock Run, $29,000. The event held each March includes a fun run, 5K and 10K. This year’s run was dedicated to the memory of the Gibbs boys, whose mom has been involved in the annual run for years.
O’Brien and William Edward were proud to serve Christ and now they get to do it up close and personal, Landreth said about her boys. They lived lives full of the things you would want to hear people say of children who attend Catholic school: they were kind, considerate, helpful and attentive.
“Everyone who knew them thought highly about them. I’m proud of them, and I’m proud to be their mother,” Landreth said. “They were able to attend Catholic school because of scholarships. If this endowment helps give scholarships to more kids who wouldn’t have been able to have a Catholic education, that’s a good thing.”
Being the third boy in the family, William Edward always felt like he was waiting for his turn to do the things his older brothers could, his mom said. And one thing he longed to be old enough to do was to become an altar server.
“The Sunday before the accident was his first and only opportunity to serve Mass,” Landreth said. “He was proud and so happy.”
O’Brien, who was passionate about the pro-life cause, attended Asheville Catholic School through the fifth grade and then switched to public school. When he was in sixth grade, he decorated a T-shirt with the words “pro-life” on it. When he realized it wasn’t a popular belief, he started wearing the shirt to school in eighth grade and it sparked a lot of conversation, his mom recalled.
Some of his friends would tell him they liked him but not his shirt, and a group of girls came to the public school and wrote “pro-choice” on their shirts.
“He felt like he had a mission at school to be a voice of something he thought was critical,” Landreth said. “The boys lived a purposeful life for Christ. It’s sad for me that they’re gone, but they’ve won this great lottery to go to heaven.”
The endowment will be used for tuition assistance, said Asheville Catholic’s principal, Mike Miller.
Recipients who personify the school ideals and mission will be selected by school faculty and administrators. Awards will be decided on a combination of need and merit, Miller said.
“Landreth has spearheaded the Shamrock Run race for many years,” Miller said. “We try to designate those funds raised at the race to some sort of need at the school. We thought about using it for tuition assistance and using it to honor the boys, as it would also be a way to honor their mom’s commitment.”
The Shamrock Run builds community and public awareness for the school as well as being its largest annual fundraiser.
William Edward was just a baby when he attended his first Shamrock Run, and O’Brien – with his name and bright red hair – often treated the event like it was his own personal holiday, Landreth remembered. He was proud of his Irish heritage, and the run was very important to the family. They helped plan, advertise, run and clean up from the event each year.
“It’s really nice for it to be in memorial to them,” Landreth said. “They were two pretty cool kids. Lots of O’Brien’s friends volunteered this year and ran in his memory.”
Funds from the Shamrock Run each year will go to the endowment.
“When my time is over as principal, my goal is to leave the school in a great position,” Miller said. “Building our endowments is a great way to do it.”
This is the sixth endowment benefitting Asheville Catholic School.
As a convert to the Catholic faith, Landreth said, she wasn’t sure she was going to be able to raise a Catholic child. She learned more about the faith alongside her children while they attended Asheville Catholic School.
“I want that to be accessible for anyone who wants this education for their children,” she said.
“What amazes and touches me deeply is that this family has suffered such a great loss, and they are still thinking of others,” said Jim Kelley, director of development for the Diocese of Charlotte. “O’Brien and William Edward will have a major impact on students for generations to come – offering them the gift of a Catholic education. That will change those students’ lives.”
— Kimberly Bender, online reporter. Photos provided by Jo Gibbs Landreth.
