by Owen Canfield, associate director for gift planning for the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma
After David Warren’s passing in 2018, his family quickly agreed that a wonderful way to honor his memory would be to create an endowment benefiting Sacred Heart Catholic School in El Reno.
Warren was baptized, confirmed and married at Sacred Heart. Two of his children attended the school. Warren and his wife were regulars at the annual “Taste of Sacred Heart” fundraiser for the school. “He always supported everything at the school,” said Warren’s widow, Kim Warren Wiewel.
Warren died of cancer at age 48. Soon after, his family established the David Paul Warren Memorial Endowment at the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma. Annual distributions from the endowment provide funding for technology, media supplies and equipment for the school.
During his time as director of technology at Redlands Community College, Warren created an information technology system that caught the attention of Gemini Coatings Inc., an El Reno company that specializes in wood coating products. Gemini hired Warren as IT director in 2000; a decade later, he became the company’s president and CEO.
“Earmarking the funds for technology at SHCS would support the school while at the same time giving a nod to David’s memory and his interest in technology,” said his mother, Sandra Warren.
“He was such a lover of technology, and I believe … with today’s education, it doesn’t matter how young a student is, technology is going to be a huge part of their lives.”
Warren Wiewel shared similar sentiments.
Her hope is that with help from the endowment, “technology can improve at Sacred Heart Catholic School for students who are there, while promoting their faith in Jesus Christ and their relationship with Jesus. That’s what David would want, too.”
The goal of the family and the Catholic Foundation is to build the endowment through gifts from others, resulting in larger annual distributions for Sacred Heart Catholic School.
Gifts to the David Paul Warren Endowment can be made by going online to cfook.org/sacredheartschoolelreno or by calling the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma at (405) 721-4115.
Owen Canfield is associate director of gift planning for the Catholic Foundation of Oklahoma. Contact (405) 709-2897, [email protected].