The PIBC community is in shock following the death of much loved faculty member Kathy Newell this morning.
Apparently she had just entered the water for her first scuba dive of the day when her diving companions noticed that something was wrong. Two women dove into the water and pulled her back onto the boat. One of the companions, a nurse, began CPR, which they and the US Coast Guard maintained. She was pronounced dead at Naval Hospital Guam.
Kathy, was a mission volunteer through the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA) and was wrapping up her second year at PIBC. She had a ticket to return home to Flagstaff, Arizona on May 28th. Kathy was particularly excited about seeing her grandchildren again.
A career educator, Kathy taught Methods of Elementary Education; Community ESL, and Intro to Linguistics & Second Language Acquisition at PIBC. Her professional background was elementary education and English language acquisition. In addition to teaching in the Falgstaff schools she taught on the Navajo Indian Reservation and in Russia. She earned both BS and MA degrees from Northern Arizona University.
PIBC president, Dr David Owen, reflected on Kathy's work at the school, "She was an excellent, creative teacher and a selfless volunteer who came out here on her own time and at her own expense to give young people from the Pacific Islands access to a quality education. She ministered Christ to our students in a unique way as she held them to a loving, but high, standard."
A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m., Friday, May 8th, at the Lutheran Church of Guam.
You can read more about Kathy and how the PIBC community is responding to her going home to be with the LORD at the Stinnette's (PIBC VP of Advancement) and Melissa Heck's (Dean of Women) blog
1 comment:
Kathy, her family, and PIBC will be in my prayers today
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