Walking into the auditorium Friday morning at Oakwood Country
School, students, teachers and visitors entered into a strange
juxtaposition.
Walking into the auditorium Friday morning at Oakwood Country School, students, teachers and visitors entered into a strange juxtaposition.
On the one hand, everyone was there to remember teacher Lisa Curley who died March 11 after a nine-month battle with brain cancer. On the other hand, the room was colorful.
Nearly everyone wore a crazy hat and a few students dressed up in costumes all to honor the eclectic teacher they knew and loved.
The auditorium was nearly filled to capacity, something her father Richard Lyman did not expect.
“I always knew she was the most wonderful person,” Lyman said, unable to fight back tears. “It’s thrilling to see so many who thought so too.”
While the ceremony was held to remember Curley’s life, it was designed not to be a somber occasion.
“The family would not want people all somber and dressed in black,” said Oakwood Librarian Martine Kapetanic.
The ceremony opened with introduction by Ted Helvey, co-owner of Oakwood, who told the those on hand their feelings were completely normal.
“At times we may be feeling sad, at others we may remember a memory and laugh and sometimes we experience both at the same time,” Helvey said.
Certainly the emotions ran the gambit from laughter to rivers of tears.
A video spanning Curley’s life brought all those emotions to the surface. It showed a happy child growing up through the years leading to the very end.
Students on the video shared their memories of a favorite teacher.
Almost with out exception they recalled Curley’s fun-loving spirit that made them laugh, especially with her themed days and wacky hats.
Pictures flashed across the big screen of Curley in a Cat in the Hat costume or dressed as a pirate.
One boy on the video recalled how Curley invaded his classroom and tied up the teacher all the while demanding their gold.
“Whatever we studied that was how we dressed,” Curley said in the video.
Following the video, which was met with loud applause and cheers, several teachers spoke, including Cari Charron who shared a thought a little boy had about Curley.
“(The little boy said) how wonderful its going to be for all the little children in heaven who now have Mrs. Curley there with them,” Charron said.
Afterward, a tree was planted in Curley’s honor.
“This was absolutely beautiful and inspiring,” said Curley’s sister-in-law Linda Curley, who is married to Doug’s brother. “It makes you appreciate how fragile life is.”
Cheeto Barrera is an intern at the Morgan Hill Times. He can be reached at cb******@mo*************.com or 779-4106.
