SMCHS Mourns the Loss of Founder Arthur B. Birtcher

Santa Margarita Catholic High School mourns the loss of Arthur B. Birtcher, one of the school’s founders, whose vision, generosity and commitment to Catholic education helped bring Santa Margarita Catholic High School to life in 1987.

Mr. Birtcher served as co-chairman of the fundraising campaign that made the dream of a Catholic high school in South Orange County a reality, and he remained dedicated and generous to SMCHS throughout the years.
 

His dedication to the Catholic faith and to Catholic education has left an enduring legacy in the lives of countless students who have walked through Santa Margarita’s gates.

Mr. Birtcher passed away on Saturday, Aug. 1. He was 87. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano on Aug. 13 at 10 a.m.

The SMCHS community joins in prayer for the repose of his soul and extends our deepest condolences to his wife Gaye, and the entire Birtcher family, including alumni parents Bob and Wendy Anderson and their children, Art and Gaye's grandchildren, who are graduates of Santa Margarita Catholic High School.

Art and Gaye Birtcher’s shared commitment to the Catholic faith, education and philanthropy has had a lasting impact on the spiritual life of Santa Margarita. They were original donors of the school’s Sacred Heart Chapel, which continues to serve as the spiritual center of campus. In 2009, they funded an extensive renovation of the chapel, working with a renowned liturgical arts company in Spain, to create its sacred art and marble altar. The renovated chapel features a rose-colored marble altar, gold-plated tabernacle, hand-carved statues of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Madonna and Child and St. Joseph, and a gold-accented crucifix.

The Birtchers also gifted the school a bronze-like statue of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, the patroness of Santa Margarita Catholic High School. Created in Spain, the statue now graces the St. Margaret Mary Garden near the Sacred Heart Chapel, offering a peaceful place for reflection and serving as a lasting reminder of the school’s namesake and Catholic identity.

In 2025, the SMCHS community was blessed to honor Art and Gaye with the Caritas Christi Award for Servant Leadership at the school’s Blue and Gold Gala.

“I wanted to thank my grandparents, Art and Gaye Birtcher, for their part in founding Santa Margarita Catholic High School,” their grandchild Alex Anderson ’10 said in a video honoring the founders that evening. “Thank you for helping to create such a special place for me, my sisters and surely every other student who has passed through the gates of Santa Margarita.”

Art Birtcher’s legacy will live on in the students who have benefited from a Santa Margarita Catholic education and carry forward the values of service, generosity and the love of Christ that he embodied. Santa Margarita Catholic High School is deeply grateful for Mr. Birtcher’s commitment to helping establish SMCHS. May his example of faith and service continue to inspire our community for generations to come.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon him.
May his soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.