On May 24, longtime teacher’s aide Leta Abel passed away after a short battle with lung cancer. She had worked for Days Creek schools for more than 30 years, first at Tiller Elementary and later at Days Creek Charter School. She was 64.
The Tiller-Trail Times asked students, staff and parents what their favorite memories of Abel. Here are their responses:
“I was always messing with her and she was always messing with me. We were always trying to get taller than her. That’s how we’d mark height: If we were taller than Mrs. Abel or not. It was a big deal when you passed her in height.”
— Keegan Stufflebeam, junior
“We had Leta all the way through school. She didn’t put up with anything. She always had gum in her pocket and would give it to us at recess.
— Natalie Harris, junior
“We had a lot of reading groups with her. She was big on literacy. I remember that when we were younger, when we got done reading we used to play huckle-buckle bean stalk.”
— Mallorie Walter, freshman
“When I first came to this school, I didn’t know anyone. She helped me make friends in kindergarten, when I was lonely”
— Jazmin Estrada, 8th grade
“She was kind of known as the ‘mean’ teacher’s aide, but she really wasn’t bad. She would tease. Sometimes she would get mad at us, but we totally deserved it.”
— Kaden Wiles, 7th grade
“One day as the busses were leaving after school, she said to my son ‘Ellis, come over here. I wanna beat on somebody and I don’t care who!’ She was kidding, of course, and my son knew that, so he sidled over a little bit but then jumped back, smiling the whole time. Then Leta said again “Aw, c’mon. I just wanna wail on you for a little bit.’”
— Rob McCallum
“One time her and I were the aides on recess duty together and we were standing in close proximity visiting with each other and I hear her hollering out to some kids who were playing nearby. She said ‘hey quit your name calling’ and then she slowly turned to me and under her breath, she says ‘ya morons’. I hadn’t laughed that much in a while. She was great and I will miss her greatly”
— Travis Fuller, teachers aide and Tiller Elementary graduate
“She would take the time out every day when she would see my youngest boy come in for school. He has been through a lot for his age. And Leta would keep asking Zacc ‘where’s your smile hiding?’ She would repeat herself until he smiled. Thank you for that.”
— Kittie Speckman, parent
