“It’s a very simple concept: just be kind.”
Those words, once spoken by the late Sto-Rox teacher Terry Spencer and repeated during a memorial service Tuesday afternoon, echoed in the minds of teachers, students, family and friends gathered in front of Sto-Rox Upper Elementary.
Spencer passed away last May, leaving behind a family at home and a family in Sto-Rox.
K-6 Principal Heather Johnston led the service for Spencer, speaking about his contributions to the district, his positive attitude, and the caring legacy he leaves behind.
“He brightened up when he talked about his students,” said fellow teacher Tim Athanas. “He never ate lunch alone.” Athanas went on to explain that students would often have lunch and talk with Spencer, deepening connections that would last well beyond their time in his classroom. Once his students moved to the fifth and sixth grades, they would often come back to his classroom to visit.
Athanas outlined the four things Spencer loved most: his family, his students, teaching, and “us” - meaning his fellow teachers. Several teachers fought back tears during a service that was punctuated by songs sung by the SRUE Chorus and all students.
Ashley Dickinson was another teacher who fondly remembered Spencer. She remembered the phrase he once told her: “Even if we disagree on everything, we can still be kind to each other.” She urged attendees to remember that quote and carry it with them as they remember Spencer. Fellow teacher Kristy Shuhilo spoke after helping Spencer’s former students - now in fifth grade - talk about their memories of Spencer. Said Shuhilo, “he truly embodied what this district strives to be.” She spoke about Spencer’s drive to be an educator, reminding attendees that he left the corporate world to pursue a living in education.
Finally, Spencer’s husband, Nate McMichael, spoke about the man both he and the district miss so dearly.
“He was an example of what success looks like,” said McMichael. “Not in material gains, but in the lives that he touched.”
With that, McMichael helped unveil a memorial bench for Spencer, sitting beneath a newly planted tree in his honor. A fitting tribute, to a man who inspired so many young people to grow from roots he helped plant.
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