Joe and Marie Reynolds ’39 were childhood sweethearts. They grew up attending mass and school at St. Francis Xavier Church (now The Shrine of St. Francis Xavier and Our Lady of Guadalupe), and then both went on to Catholic Central High School.

When Joe got back from serving in the war, they were married at St. Francis and had five children. They sent all five children to school at St. Francis and Catholic Central. They believed that “a Catholic education was the best gift we could give our kids.”

When Joe and Marie passed away, their five kids wanted to do something to honor their parents’ love for Catholic education, so each of them took part of their inheritance to start a scholarship in their parents’ name: The Joe and Marie Reynolds Family Scholarship.

Not only does this scholarship succeed in honoring their parents’ memory, but it also shows the depth of their gratitude for the gift they were given, the gift of a good Catholic education.

What better way to give thanks for one’s past then to “pay it forward?”

To learn how you can create a scholarship in honor of a loved one and leave a legacy to impact generations to come, contact Beth Banta at 616.233.5816 and bethbanta@grcatholiccentral.org to learn more.