Bequest and IRA Rollover: Cathy (Starck) Wille ’69 and Art Wille Give to Carroll in Gratitude and Hope and Trust That ‘God Will Provide’

Cathy (Starck) Wille was attracted to Carroll because of its faith-based values associated with the Presbyterian Church. They colored her experience at Carroll. She participated in campus ministry and worked three jobs to support her education, including the food service, as a resident assistant, and in the greenhouse. As a result of her involvement at Carroll and the close attention she received from faculty, notably Prof. Roy Kristoff and Chaplain Robert Buzza, her confidence in herself and her abilities grew. She remains grateful for their support and the scholarship she received to this day.

Cathy’s professional path has gone many directions. For 11 years, she was a high school biology teacher. She taught students privately for seven more years and then moved into providing psychotherapy and counseling for 24 years. However, her dedication to her church stayed constant throughout her life. Cathy and her husband, Art Wille, have dedicated their lives to serving church communities in Wisconsin and Illinois. Cathy teaches Sunday school and has done so for 61 years. Art also had a 41-year career as a church pastor and administrator.

Their faith animates their charitable giving. “Both of us live out of an understanding of abundance, that God will provide and therefore that abundance can be shared,” they said. They said they also give out of gratitude for the opportunities they received through their educations. They were both first-generation college students and hope others will receive the same opportunities they were given.

Cathy and Art use their IRA to make gifts to Carroll, maintaining annual membership in Carroll’s Old Main Society. Their contributions pass straight from their IRA to Carroll, so they never have to pay taxes on the amount they donate. Giving from their IRA decreases their taxable income and allows them to give more generously. Cathy and Art are also members of the 1846 Legacy Society, having included Carroll as a percentage beneficiary of their will.

Cathy and Art would like to encourage you to “trust that there’ll be enough” when thinking about both giving now and in your will. “It’s natural to worry about how much you will need, but this is a world where there is abundance—and we can feel good about that.”