Martin Salley

The Legacy of Martin J. Salley

Martin Salley believed that giving was just part of being a Catholic. He lived his faith while working at Westinghouse for 47 years before retiring in 1990 at age 68.

In 1992, he began participating in the Diocese's Charitable Gift Annuity program. From 1992-2014, he placed $210,000 in 25 gift annuities. During those years, Martin received earnings on the annuities totaling $212,000, most of it tax free.

Martin firmly believed in the value of Catholic education and generously contributed to our Catholic schools, regularly investing in gift annuities in an effort toward keeping our Catholic schools strong. His enthusiasm for our schools may have had something to do with one niece being the principal at Brookline Regional Catholic School, another a teacher at Word of God School in Rankin/Swissvale and a nephew and two other nieces being graduates of Central Catholic High School and Oakland Catholic High School, respectively.

When he died in July of 2014, the remainder portion of his gift annuities totaled more than $100,000. That amount was distributed to specific charities in the Diocese named by Martin as beneficiaries. The charities that benefited through his generosity included: a parish, a religious order, two Catholic grade schools, the Diocese of Pittsburgh Foundation and the Diocese.

In the end, Martin Salley didn't invest in gift annuities; he invested in the future of children by supporting Catholic education. God bless Martin Salley and the many others who have used their resources to benefit the Church in this special way.

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