MDY

 

Over the summer, an amazing mentor, professor, and friend had a brief three week battle with cancer before passing on to spend eternity with Jesus.  I hadn’t even known she was sick, it happened that fast.  Mary, or MDY as she was affectionately known across Hope's campus, was always full of life, fun, and zeal, so realizing she was suddenly gone just like that was a surreal feeling.  It seemed like just a few weeks before that I saw her amazing FB photo of she her husband Steve scuba diving together.

Sunday’s memorial service at Hope was filled with fond memories, laughter, and many tears as we remembered her amazing life.  As I listened to others' memories of her, we all stood in awe of how she must have spent her days.  She was an amazing woman of God who knew how to laugh and have fun along the way!!  Whether it was keeping her husband up-to-date on the news of previous Hope Students... working out with friends (or encouraging people to join her, even though she reportedly hated it)... going for coffee runs at JP’s with her many coffee-buddies... playing “set” every day and charting her times against her husband’s to see who came out ahead... researching the latest classroom math tech programs for her students who would soon be teachers... riding across Iowa on a tandem bike with her hubby... being a great mom to her grown kids... preparing difficult "challenge problems" for her math-for-the-elementary-teacher students to solve... baking delicious treats for the poor, frustrated college students who stayed up all night trying to solve said problems :) ... creating manipulatives by hand and carting them across campus to teach sound teaching practices... checking and commenting on every individual FB post, blog post, etc of her previous or current students... or leading trips around the world to connect with those in need… she was always touching lives for the better.

 

in Churo, Kenya with MDY

MDY, you taught me to love teaching math... helped me fall in love with Africa... showed me how to love my students well... always had a kind word for me on my blog... and are very much missed!  Can't wait to see you in heaven!