A Father's Influence, A Lifelong Impact

Guided by love and a transformative Saint Mary's experience, Joanne Gatti ’93 hopes to inspire self-discovery and curiosity in future students 

When she thinks back on her time at Saint Mary's, a smile quickly spreads across Joanne Gatti’s ’93 face. “Saint Mary’s was an incredibly special time in my life.”

 

Joanne’s Saint Mary's story didn’t begin with her own college search, but much earlier—woven into the fabric of her childhood by her father, William Marshall Gatti, M.D. “My father graduated from Notre Dame in 1960,” she explains. “And we grew up breathing Notre Dame. Multiple family members on my father’s side also went to Notre Dame or Saint Mary’s. It was that kind of family.”

 

Family trips to Notre Dame football games often included unplanned detours to Saint Mary's campus. “My dad was always fond of Saint Mary’s. The car would just find its way down the Avenue,” she says with a laugh. “It was always autumn and so everything was just glowing beauty. I took a lot of that in from an early age.“ 

 

By the time she enrolled, Saint Mary's already felt like home. But what happened next surprised even her. Joanne shared, “My time at Saint Mary’s was so special because it allowed me to stretch myself intellectually, spiritually, and socially. I felt so safe and supported by just being there. It allowed me to expand in ways that were really unforeseen.”

 

A semester abroad in Rome during her sophomore year opened her eyes even further. When Joanne returned to campus, a meeting with Professor Gail Mandell in the Humanistic Studies program lit a spark that never went out. “It was very clear to me. As soon as I heard about HUST, I thought, ‘This was made for me.’ Being a HUST major was hugely impactful. It really shaped my mind to understand that life is not linear.” Joanne double-majored in Humanistic Studies and English Literature. 

 

But it wasn’t just the academics. Joanne rowed on the varsity crew team at Notre Dame her freshman year, and deepened her spirituality and her commitment to service through organized immersion experiences in Appalachia and Oaxaca, Mexico.

 

In January 2022, Joanne’s father passed away. This past winter, she felt his presence more than ever. “My father certainly left his imprint upon me. I was feeling a lot of gratitude for who he was and his impact on me.”

 

Joanne’s father lived every day with a generous spirit which shaped her deeply. Joanne shared that her father gave his heart, his time, his listening ear, and his caring attentiveness to their family. “He was the most generous person I’ve ever met.”

 

And that kind of generosity stayed with her.

 

As she reflected on his life, she began thinking about her own. “It’s natural, I think, to ask yourself, ‘What kind of legacy will I leave?’. I realized that Saint Mary’s is so central to who I have become. It's a nexus point in my life. So then the question naturally became, ‘is there a way I can pay these blessings forward and at the same time honor both my father and Saint Mary's?'.”

 

That reflection inspired Joanne to create a bequest through a beneficiary designation of her retirement plan to Saint Mary’s. A bequest is a future gift within an estate plan or other designation of assets that creates a lasting impact on the people and organizations that mean the most to you. A bequest to Saint Mary’s supports the College’s mission and provides opportunities for its students. 

 

“I want this gift to touch future Saint Mary's students in a way that makes them feel like I did—safe, supported, and inspired to explore who they are,” she says. “ I emerged from Saint Mary’s ready and curious about the world. I want future students to feel that eagerness to go into the world, too.”

 

After graduating from Saint Mary’s, Joanne completed a year of service with the Holy Cross Associates in Portland, Oregon. Joanne noted, “I was able to deeply explore this desire I had to serve the underprivileged and the marginalized of society.” Ultimately, Joanne’s aspiration to serve others led her to a career as an occupational therapist. 

 

She sees parallels between her Humanistic Studies coursework and her interaction with patients, recognizing the importance of gathering comprehensive information before determining a course of treatment. “The HUST major instills a sense of curiosity and a way of dialoguing with others,” she added. “No one opinion is the right opinion. A differing opinion actually informs mine and ultimately makes my understanding broader.”

 

As both of Joanne’s parents were doctors, her decision to pursue a different medical career prompted gentle inquiries from her father. “My father and I would have conversations about the right livelihood and profession. He always approached that question with an open-endedness and trusted ultimately in what I would choose. Intuitively, he knew that Saint Mary’s was the perfect place for me to grow and search for these answers.”

 

And now, Joanne’s bequest ensures that future students can do the same. If you would like to learn more about bequests or other ways to create an impact at Saint Mary’s with a planned gift, please contact Lauren Jaworowski Henzel '91, JD, Director of Gift Planning, lhenzel@saintmarys.edu, 574-284-4600.

 

August 8, 2025