‘Beloved’ kindergarten teacher dies after contracting COVID, South Carolina school says
A South Carolina woman retired from a decades-long teaching career before her passion for helping children learn brought her back to the classroom.
“She loved helping people so I think that’s why she was such a good teacher and friend,” said Melissa Nettles, according to WMBF. “She would do whatever it took to help a child learn or feel included.”
Nettles’ sister-in-law, Marlene Evans, was almost three years into her new teaching job when she contracted COVID-19 in December. She died on Monday at age 59, according to her obituary and Virtus Academy.
The charter school in Florence, roughly 75 miles northwest of Myrtle Beach, said Evans was a “beloved” kindergarten teacher who showed dedication to her job.
“Students and employees alike were drawn to Ms. Evans’s kindness and positivity, and she will be remembered fondly by the numerous lives she touched,” the school said in its statement.
In addition to teaching for roughly 30 years, Evans was a foster parent and worked with kids at Friendship United Methodist Church in Florence, according to her obituary and WMBF.
“Please pray for comfort for the family during these difficult times,” the church wrote Tuesday in a Facebook post.
Evans was teaching students face-to-face until Virtus Academy moved kindergarten classes online before winter break, according to interim principal Brittany Hamilton.
In the wake of Evans’ coronavirus-related death, the school expressed condolences and said it planned to offer counseling. Virtus Academy, which has face-to-face and remote learning options, also will enforce a mask policy and keep following health guidelines to help reduce the risk of transmitting COVID-19, officials said.
The charter school in its statement said the family wants “to remind everyone of the seriousness of this disease and the importance in taking proper precautions to help prevent the spread of the disease.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urges people who go out in public to wear face coverings, wash their hands and avoid crowded areas.
It’s not the first time a South Carolina teacher has died after a COVID-19 diagnosis.
In December, a third-grade teacher for Lexington County School District One died a month after testing positive for COVID-19, The State reported.
Nearby, an elementary school teacher who worked for Richland County School District Two died of coronavirus-related complications in September.
This story was originally published January 20, 2021 at 11:37 AM with the headline "‘Beloved’ kindergarten teacher dies after contracting COVID, South Carolina school says."
