“You can’t even put it into words, honestly. Like there’s just those special people that just come in and leave footprints forever, and she did that to everybody.”
Those are the words of Tammy Waddell’s former 2nd-grade student, Blake Densmore.
Though now a full-grown man, Blake still vividly remembers the impact Waddell had on his life and the lives of so many others.
Waddell spent 25 years doing whatever she possibly could to help students, and now, even in her death, she is continuing to do so.
The retired elementary school teacher tragically died of colon cancer, and the final request that she made for her funeral has gone mega-viral.
Two weeks before her death, in lieu of flowers, the 58-year-old asked that funeral attendees bring backpacks of supplies for children in need.
“My cousin’s final request at her funeral was backpacks full of supplies for needy students instead of flowers,” her cousin, Brad Johnson wrote on Twitter. “A teacher to the end.”
And the amount [number] of donations that flooded in was nothing short of extraordinary.
My cousin’s final request at her funeral was Backpacks full of supplies for needy students instead of flowers. A teacher to the end. @TeachersNet @edutopia @EdWeekTeacher pic.twitter.com/eGig25tYwH
— Dr. Brad Johnson (@DrBradJohnson) June 19, 2018
“I think the pictures have gone viral because her story touches the soul of humanity,” said Johnson of the photos he shared on social media. “Her final lesson was to be of service to others. I would say her last lesson was well taught.”