Reconnecting on Facebook, Ms. Florence Helena Sturkey’s former students describe her as witty, full of life, stern and humorous.
Others say the English language that Ms. Sturkey wielded so masterfully and eloquently lacks the descriptors necessary to pay full and sincere homage.
But all of the students sharing memories of Ms. Sturkey, a retired teacher from Copley who passed away April 16 at age 70, agree they will never forget her.
“She prepared us for the harsh nature of adulthood, but also taught us how precious and wonderful life can still be, which isn’t something to be feared, but instead something that should be embraced. I loved her dearly for that,” said Scott Miller, an aspiring screenwriter living in Los Angeles who graduated from Copley High School in 1993.
His sister also appreciates the lasting effect of Ms. Sturkey’s English lessons.
“We were common souls in love with literature,” 1996 graduate Shannon Miller wrote about her former teacher. “And she was the first person to suggest I had what it took to pursue writing as a career.”
The posts can be found at www.facebook.com/OurPurpleMemoryBook, where former students, colleagues and friends are encouraged to share memories and stories that will be assembled into a book and eventually presented to Ms. Sturkey’s surviving family.
Ms. Sturkey was a past winner of the Teacher of the Year award, given by the Ohio Middle Level Association, an organization formed to advance education for middle school students. Over the span of her education career, she taught at Copley-Fairlawn and Revere schools and at the University of Akron.
Calling hours will be 4 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Billow Fairlawn Chapel, 85 N. Miller Road. A memorial service will be 1 p.m. Saturday at Cross Point Alliance Church, 855 Rothrock Road, Copley.
Donations can be made in her memory to the Middlebury Chapel’s Open Hand Food Pantry or Kid’s Club or the Arthritis Foundation, Great Lakes Region, Ohio Valley Chapter.
Doug Livingston can be reached at 330-996-3792 or dlivingston@thebeaconjournal.com.
