Orange
Charter School
In Memory of
Laura Janet Pooley Walker
A beloved teacher, friend, and member of the Orange Charter School family.
August 19, 1971 — March 8, 2002
Laura began teaching
at Orange Charter School on October 1st, 1999. Not only was
she a gifted teacher, but she was also a gift sent to the school that day.
We deeply mourn her loss and she will always be in our memory. Cards and
condolences may be sent to Laura's family at the following address:
Oxley-Heard Funeral Directors
1305 Atlantic Ave.
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
Laura's family has established
a memorial fund to benefit the children of Orange Charter School.
Contributions can be made to the following:
Laura Pooley Walker Memorial Fund
C/O Orange Charter School
920 Corporate Dr.
Hillsborough, NC 27278
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Laura was a most colorful and many-faceted
person, who gave everything of herself to her students. If there
was ever a person who was born to be a teacher of children it was Laura,
and she left us with some wonderful memories. This site is an attempt
to share and preserve some of those memories. If you would like to
contribute a photo, a reminiscence, a few words to Laura, or anything else
you would like to share, please email it to
ocs@orangecharterschool.org
Please check back from time
to time as we continue to add more to the site.
We begin with a photo of Laura
working on some art work with her students.
More photos
A collage from
Laura's CD insert
The million-dollar
smile
Photos sent by
RobRob (Laura's oldest sister)
A
photo gallery put together by Elliot
Links
Florida
Times-Union Obituary
Homily
Delivered at the memorial service on March 13, 2002
Poems for Laura,
written by her students
A Note From Laura's Mom
August 18, 2003
Tomorrow (Aug. 19)
would have been Laura’s 32 birthday. This has been a very hard year and
a half since her accident, and I must admit that things don’t seem that
much easier for me. I thought by now I would have written to all
of the many friends and family who have put so many wonderful thoughts
on Laura’s web site. But I haven’t done that – although I read them often,
and it is comforting to know that so many people from Orange Charter School,
her friends in NC. her friends from her school days going from first grade
through college have written to remember her. Laura literally had friends
all over the world and we have been so grateful to hear from you and to
know that Laura is always remembered. I still feel that Laura has just
gone off on one of her long trips throughout this country and overseas,
and that anytime the phone will ring with that wonderful voice. Her Dad
and I always sent her flowers on her birthday. During the past few years
while she was teaching at Orange Charter School this coincided with the
opening week of school. I wish we could do that again.
Laura was truly a delight
to her family, and being the youngest, we all helped her grow up. We miss
her and she is still a presence in our lives.
The poems, notes and
cards we have received from her students, parents and friends have definitely
helped us through this hard time. So many of you have remembered Laura
by donating to the playground at her school, and we know it will be a lasting
memorial. She added so much to our lives and to those around her. We shall
never forget you, Laura – and to her many friends --- please keep in touch
with us.
We love you all,
Janet Dickson
Janetdickson@net-magic.net
904-261-6873
1353 Gerbing Rd.
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
Comments and goodbyes from
friends and family
Laura forever has a place deep in the hearts
of the children she taught. She instinctively knew how to turn on
that light that exists in every child, I witnessed it many times.
I've never seen such a loving combination of sweetness and firmness in
the way she worked with children. We'll miss you much Laura.
Chuck Nolan (Principal, Orange Charter School)
occs@mindspring.com
March 14, 2002
One of the things that I loved about Ms.
Walker was how she lived fully in the present. She just had that sense
about her. When you talked with her, she was fully there, focused
on you. She had such a strong sense of self-confidence, yet she was focused
on others. Once, when we had her over for dinner, she brought her dog,
played us a song on the guitar, and jumped with Claire on the trampoline.
I remember how thrilled Claire was to have her come. Claire is an
excellent student, but Ms. Walker brought out something in Claire that
year. Claire worked extra hard and did over and beyond what she was assigned.
Ms. Walker gave Claire a special love for French. Thank you, Ms. Walker,
for all that you gave to us. I will miss Ms. Walker and her giving
smile at school.
Anna-Marie Spear (parent of OCS student)
key2life@worldnet.att.net
March 15, 2002
The day I met Laura I knew that she was
a very mysterious, intriguing person. I could not take my eyes off of her
when she was in my presence. Her grace and beauty was truly angelic. I
do believe the short time that Laura lived in this mortal world she did
more than most of us will ever do even if we live to be one hundred. Laura
taught her required curriculum with a genuine passion. Most importantly,
Laura went beyond what was required of her and gave a bit of her life to
her students. Her students were mesmerized by her glowing face and kind
voice. We all have things that we would say if we could have "one more
minute." Say it now! Good Bye Laura. You are missed and always loved.
Tracey Ezzell (Administrative Assistant,
OCS)
Tbuttercup66@aol.com
March 15, 2002
The tears keep falling.
Chris (Laura's brother)
Lookigotmeaname@aol.com
March 16, 2002
My granddaughter was one of those fortunate
children who had Laura Walker for her teacher this year and I had the privilege
of visiting her classroom on March 4. It was evident during my time with
them that there were special bonds between the students and their teacher,
that she loved them and believed in them. My heart aches for those children
and the OCS community. May you find a small measure of comfort in knowing
that she will be remembered by those whose lives she touched, even those
who knew her all too briefly.
Elaine Percival (parent of OCS student)
bperciv@netbox.com
March 16, 2002
I had the great privilege to know Laura
while I was teaching at Orange Charter School. Dr. Wilhoit, principal
at the time when Laura first came to the school, asked me to serve as her
mentor as she was new to teaching. I can honestly say that
Laura was the most gifted beginning teacher I have ever seen... frankly,
I think I learned far more from her than she ever did from me! She
was exceptionally bright, highly creative, and a kind, caring teacher.
The kids adored her as they knew she truly adored them. Laura had
an incredible zest for life and she shared her passions and interests with
everyone around her. She also was a dear compassionate soul... simply
a beautiful person. How we all miss her!
Pam Carter (former OCS teacher)
March 17, 2002
PWCtwin1@aol.com
Laura was such a sweet and sincere person.
From the day we first starting working together, I knew she was a great
person. She made me feel so welcome on my first day of work and we
immediately became friends. I feel that we had known each other forever.
There are so many great memories that I have of Laura from the little time
that we had been friends. I was devastated to learn that I had lost
such an important friend and co-worker. I hope she realized how many
lives she impacted in such a positive way. You are greatly missed,
Laura.
Juilie Gillette (Laura's Teacher Assistant
at OCS, and who now teaches Laura's class)
March 20, 2002
julnjef@msn.com
How do you express your
love and gratitude for Laura Walker in words? Our love is too great
and our gratitude is too immense. She gave so much of herself to
our children.
I thanked Mrs.
Walker last Thursday (March 7th) for the way she taught Blake. A
few weeks ago when I was picking him up for a dentist appointment, I stood
quietly outside her classroom and watched my son with his head perched
on both his hands as she was teaching the class. She was seated on
a stool in front of the class with a book in one hand and her other hand
expressed the lesson she was teaching. I glanced back at Blake and
you could see from his trance like stare that he was holding on to her
every word. I was always so amazed at his facial expressions whenever
she would speak to him. He was putty in her hands.
We were so fortunate
that she taught Emily as well. She learned so much in that class.
She took the time to teach her not only academically, but she often shared
advice on life lessons. "Be the best you can be," she would often
say to her. She offered words that shape a persons life. Words
that make you think. Words that last a lifetime. It is people
like Mrs. Walker that make this world a better place. It is teachers
like her that leave their mark. A teacher that becomes a part of
the person you become.
We thank God for
allowing us to know and love Laura Walker. Our lives were blessed
and touched by her sweet, energetic spirit and her lovely sense of humor.
Forever more she will be a present in our lives.
Linda Bullock (Parent of one of Laura's students)
March 21, 2002
4bullock@msn.com
It was a privilege and great pleasure to
have the opportunity to perform with Laura. Although our time was
brief I truly enjoyed Laura's music and talent. We will all miss her bright
smile, her pensive looks and the sound of her voice as she sang for us.
Frank Tornoe
March 25, 2002
chasing_light_recording@yahoo.com
Laura Janet Pooley Walker was my sister.
She was youngest of 5; I am the oldest. In line with my having nicknames
for people close to me, Laura has always been "Lulu" to me.
Lulu came to be 30, came to be smart, came
to be a leader, especially a teacher, but she never outgrew being the baby
of our family. "Little Lulu da Bulu" was loved, not just by her family,
but by people of all sorts in all kinds of places. She was lots of fun,
full of energy, and always ready to try new things.
Lulu adored horses her whole life. As a toddler,
as soon as bath time was over, she'd run and jump on her bouncy horsy (which
had first been mine) before we had a chance to clothe her; horses were
more important than clothes! She collected horses and unicorns from early
on, rode horses whenever she could as she got older, and finally was able
to own her own horses. It's sad that it was a horse-riding accident that
took Lulu's life --but merely a coincidence, which should NOT sway others
of us from FULLY seeking the dreams that WE have.
In fact, Lulu didn't sit around hoping, but
always sought her dreams and was able to attain multitudes of them (e.g.,
performed various athletic acts in the Florida State University flying
high circus; produced a CD of her own musical creations; traveled in Europe
many times; lived and worked in Paris, France, as an au pair and playing
guitar on the streets; became a teacher of youth).
As the oldest child in my family, I got the
privilege of holding (before baby car seats were standard), my new baby
sister in the car when the whole family brought her home from the hospital.
I wore my favorite dress. I was 13. She was only 0 but healthy as a horse.
Lulu was immensely loved from that day on.
My whole family has always been close, despite
some of the distances of our homes. We've had a family email discussion
list for years so we could "watch" what was going on with everyone else.
One of the hardest things I've had to do is take my little sister's email
address off our family list. How can she not now be at the other end of
my family emails?
Life must go on for the rest of us. We can't
stay sad forever. We CAN seek a zest for life just like Lulu did to the
very end.
~RobRob~ (oldest sister)
March 28, 2002
RobRob13@aol.com
Last week I lost a friend
and teacher. Though she was actually my daughter's third grade teacher,
she was also teaching me too. Not just teaching ways to better help
my daughter to learn, but Laura was continually showing me ways in which
to help up both learn and mature. She guided my relationship with
Rosemary and though she may be gone in the flesh, her spirit is still very
present, still there intervening with her ever positive guidance.
I have noticed how many
others noticed her bright, beautiful glow she [emanated] in the class every
morning I had the pleasure to greet her with Rosemary. I give thanks
to have been blessed with such an angel to have taught my child with lessons
that not only taught her but are still teaching us both. And to have
known her ever so briefly, and to feel the tremendous loss... I grieve,
but I also acknowledge the gifts she shared in such a short bliss of time.
Thanks be to God and thank you too Laura!!!
EDWARD PERCIVAL
March 13, 2002
neddymon@earthlink.net
Although I had not seen Laura
for several years my memories of her will always remind me of how
free spirited and happy she was with life. She was polite friendly and
loved to travel. Although she will be missed she will always be remembered
by anyone who had the pleasure to have met her.
Israel Winikor DMD
April 10, 2002
winnie@gator.net
Laura was a ray of sunshine.
We first met Laura when
she came to OCS to teach. She became Colleen's third grade teacher. Colleen
and her class loved Miss Luther and Miss Reilly and all their warm hugs,
they came to love Mrs. Walker, too. I would leave work early to stand outside
the classroom and listen and observe Laura teach. She was a wonderful teacher;
the kids would hang on her every word. She taught them French and she played
her guitar for them, they all thought she was "cool." When the class would
get noisy and rambunctious she would get even quieter until they had to
get still to be able to hear her. She had a special way of speaking to
each student individually so they knew how important they were to her and
how she valued what they had to say. By the end of the year they not only
loved her but they wanted to 'be' her; what a marvelous role-model she
was!
We were thrilled to discover
that, two weeks after school was out, Laura would become, not only friend
and teacher, but neighbor, too! To me she also became an adopted baby sister.
We loved being with her. I would look out for her and fuss at her if I
thought she needed it. Colleen and I took her to the emergency room last
summer when she fell off Mazie and jammed her finger and I stopped by to
see her before the last snowstorm to make sure she had enough groceries
and to let her know we would come get her if she lost power or needed us.
March 8, 2002 was the
worst day of our lives but, saying that, I wouldn't give up one moment
with Laura to save myself this pain. I have millions of little pictures
of Laura in my mind and memories of her hugs. She meant so much to me and
I know she knew it; just as I know that, after the accident, she knew we
were taking care of Ginger, who she loved so dearly just as we were taking
care of her, who we loved so dearly. We miss her.
Laura, we will love you, forever.
Susan, Woody, Colleen and Harrison Rice
April 12, 2002
susanjrice@mindspring.com
What I remember most about Laura was the
personal interest she took in each student. I remember last year she graciously
agreed to let us use her scanner to help with the OCS Ochestra Spring concert.
We had to go to her house to use it, and she insisted that we bring Shelby
along. She was so excited when Shelby came over. She immediately took us
out back while Scott worked on the computer and showed us her horses, her
chickens, and her dog Roxy. She let Shelby feed Mazzy and taught her how
to brush her. She did acrobatics on the swing set and helped Shelby up
to turn a somersault. Then she and Shelby lied on the hammock and talked
about school, life and anything else that popped into their heads. She
was a WONDERFUL teacher, friend and person. She is missed more than words
can say!
Joan Taylor (parent of OCS student)
April 15, 2002
Although Laura and I had been out of touch
for the past couple of years, the news of her passing has left a tremendous
void in my heart. Some of the things I will remember most about her
are her positive attitude, her fearlessness, her kindness, and of course,
her stunning beauty. To have been able to call Laura my friend is
a privilege I will always cherish. Laura, your memory will forever
live in my heart - may you rest in peace.
"Think of Laura but laugh, don't cry -
I know she'd want it that way." -- (Christopher Cross)
Vince Carnes (high school boyfriend)
May 12, 2002
SPPD33398@aol.com
i met laura in paris in the spring of 1998.
she'd been there as an aupair, staying with a family who lived near the
arc de triomphe, and looking after two girls called clara and "little laura".
now she was coming back on a shorter visit; the family she'd been an aupair
for had invited her to stay for free, on condition she taught the older
girl the guitar. she was making a living playing her guitar and singing
her songs on the street and in the metro. i'm an english novelist. i was
in paris, subletting from a friend, trying to write. i met her at a venue
called the fleche d'or - a former railroad station - on tuesday evening,
which is open mike night. i was struck by her energy; it seemed that everybody
was circling around her. there was dancing after the show, and when that
wound down, she gathered a group of people, and we all went driving through
nighttime paris, and she led us to a bar, where we danced some more, and
so on, till nearly dawn.
we became friends. she lived in a little
room at the very top of the apartment building. she used to squirm out
through the window, and go on up to the roof of the building, where she
sunbathed. an amazing view from up there, all paris around her. she had
a colorful bird - a lovebird, i think - called zozo. one day zozo disappeared,
having somehow escaped, and was never seen again.
i remember little incidents. how she sat
in the tuileries gardens, practicing and working on her songs. she was
composing a song with the chorus 'safe in my arms' about wanting to hold
and comfort a lover, and i asked her why she didn't instead write a song
'safe in his arms' about wanting to be comforted. she replied that was
just the way she felt; her primary desire was to care for others, more
than to be cared for.
she used to like walking around the bastille
neighborhood, which is where she'd lived when she'd first come to paris.
it's trendy, full of young people, and a little rough too. she'd speak
to the homeless people begging on the streets. for example there was an
old drunk black man singing bob marley 'liberation from mental slavery'
and she sat down on the sidewalk next to him, and lent him her guitar,
encouraging him.
she used to buy me trinkets from vendors
- for example a ring, or a piece of scented soap shaped like a
butterfly - just for the fun of giving a
present. and i'd buy her something similar. and so she made me feel both
appreciated and generous.
sometimes she liked acting bratty; once she
walked around paris with a pacifier in her mouth, shocking the staider
parisians.
after that, i only ever saw her once again,
when i visited with her in tallahassee. we kept in touch by email every
few months. she was an amazingly life-enhancing person. i felt so happy
and alive when i was with her.
i miss her.
i love you, laura.
jonathan
July 23, 2002
veilmail@yahoo.com
Laura was my friend who held no judgements.
She was a person who always looked at every situation with a fresh, and
new perspective. Everytime she grabbed your hand, tilted her head, and
slowly inquired how you were, the geniuness of her words could not be questioned.
Her big blues eyes would be set directly on yours as if, for that moment,
what you had to say to her
was the only thing she truely wanted to
know. She never jumped the gun or intercepted a thought without hearing
you, I mean really hearing the meaning of your words. Laura approached
every moment with the enthusiasm of a child. Not a moment, a view, an irony,
a flower, a song, went unappreciated.
I met Laura in 1995 in Tallahassee and immediately
knew she was an angel and those of us that had the opportunity to be in
her presence for even a short period of time were absolutely blessed. My
blessing came when Laura moved to my home town Atlanta for a year. In her
presence, I felt calmed, at peace, in the moment, and at one with myself
and who I am. This feeling that people look for their whole lifes, Laura
could deliver with her smile, her ear, her caring words, her songs and
her mischievous sense of humor - basically by just being. She was a natural
teacher of life.
I love Laura Pooley. I miss her tremendously.
Knowing Laura has given me faith in the goodness of people.
Ashley Eaton (Friend)
age@mindspring.com
July 28, 2003
I was in the FSU Flying High Circus with
Laura (we all knew her as "Smyth"). There is a brief obituary
in our Fall 2002 Alumni Newsletter at http://www.fsu.edu/~circus/newsletters/fall02_newsletter.pdf.
Laura will be greatly missed by her friends
in circus.
Douglas B. Lynch
douglas.b.lynch@lmco.com
January 28, 2004
To some she was a sonbird
Helping find our Childhood Blue
To some, a special friend
That we were glad to say we knew
To some she was a teacher
Passing on her special gift
To some, an inspiration
When our hopes needed a lift
And though there's now a void
That no one else coud ever fill
Her memory will guide us
When our lives seem
All uphill
That found Angel in Waiting
Forever now will sing
As she soars throughout the Heavens
On a horse with golden wings!!!
(This poem can be found in font
on our website at www.geocities.com/skipnransom)
Melinda
June 17, 2004
