MORGANTON — A $100,000 gift to St. Charles Borromeo Parish from a deceased member will help the growing parish meet its outreach needs.
The bequest came from Dr. Patrice “Patti” Marie Kirchoff, who died June 23, 2022, at 62. The Patti Kirchoff Memorial Endowment Fund will be used for the general needs of St. Charles Borromeo Parish, where she had been a longtime parishioner.
“She loved the church, she loved this parish,” said Father Kenneth Whittington, who remembers her as a joyful, happy and pragmatic person and gifted lector. “She was a special person and will certainly not be forgotten. It was a gift to know her.”
The Morganton parish serves a diverse population and continues to grow rapidly. The endowment will help with much-needed expansion plans and to help grow the outreach program, Father Whittington said.
A native of St. Louis, Mo., Patti was one of six children raised in a faith-filled Catholic family. She attended Cor Jesu Academy and went on to attend St. Louis University on a softball scholarship. She found her passion in the medical field and became board certified in pediatrics, internal medicine and allergy and immunology.
She moved to Morganton in 1995 and practiced allergy and asthma for Allergy Partners until retiring in 2019.
An avid athlete and competitor, Patti didn’t let a cancer diagnosis later in life slow her down. She formed a Dragon Boat racing team comprised of fellow cancer survivors who competed nationally and raised money for cancer research. She also found time to run, cycle and coach a local girls’ softball team.
“She always viewed the church as a place to give back,” said Patti’s son, Brett Barnard. “She instilled in my sister and me the importance of volunteering and encouraged us to get involved with the youth group at the church to meet similarly minded people and to help out as well.”
“Our diocese is so blessed that more and more parishioners are leaving bequests to benefit their parish. Giving through a bequest is a final act of stewardship,” said Gina Rhodes, diocesan director of planned giving.
“Her donation to the church was just a small piece of Patti’s giving back to the world, but it was very indicative of her mindset,” Barnard added. “She had so many more plans for both herself and to give back to the less fortunate around her, and it’s a tragedy that she wasn’t able to see that through. Her presence is very much missed every day because of the positive influence she had on everyone around her.”
— Courtney McLaughlin, Correspondent