WINSTON-SALEM — St. Leo Parish’s new church had been completed only a year when Robert Daye was born in 1930.
His family had been instrumental in the effort to buy land and build the church on Springdale Avenue, according to Father Brian Cook, who has served as St. Leo’s pastor since 2006. The Gothic Revival-style stone building, which was designed by the famed church architect Father Michael McInerney of Belmont Abbey, was completed in 1929. “Since then, the Daye family has been an integral part of the life of our parish.”
Daye died Jan. 1 at the age of 87. Nearly 20 years before his death, he told the Diocese of Charlotte’s Development Office staff that he would be bequeathing a gift to benefit his beloved parish after he was gone. The $100,000 Daye Endowment will directly benefit St. Leo Church for years to come.
It is expected that the parish will initially be able to draw $5,000 annually from the endowment.
“Bob was a man of great warmth and had a quiet prayerfulness about him that lifted the hearts of so many in our parish community,” Father Cook recalled. “We are most grateful for his generous gift and for the continued legacy of gentle faithfulness he leaves with our community.”
The new Daye Endowment is one of seven endowments that benefits the Winston-Salem parish, which has about 2,000 registered families, and its school.
Founded in 1994, the Diocese of Charlotte Foundation now has 257 endowments totaling more than $50 million in assets. It has distributed more than $9 million to the diocese and its parishes, schools and ministries.
“As more and more individuals leave estate gifts to their parishes and schools, more endowments are being established, so it’s not uncommon for parishes and schools to have multiple endowments,” noted Jim Kelley, diocesan development director.
Individuals can establish an endowment in the diocesan foundation by leaving a bequest in their will, a beneficiary designation from a retirement plan, a gift of real estate, a gift of life insurance, cash or securities sufficient to set up an endowment, or a life income arrangement such as a trust or annuity.
For details about setting up an endowment to benefit the Church in western North Carolina, contact Judy Smith at 704-370-3320 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter