ROXANA - An area educator described as having “a heart as big as gold” - Nancy Holtorf - has died after being in a coma.
Cathy Holtorf, her mother-in-law, has organized a GoFundMe fundraiser for Nancy, who taught at Roxana Junior High. Today, her colleagues in the Roxana School District and Alton School District are mourning her loss.
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Nancy was previously a teacher in the Alton School District and two years ago started in Roxana. Sadly, Nancy Holtorf suffered a stroke at the start of school in Roxana. She was a self-contained special education teacher for the junior high, she had a mix of sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-grade special education students. Nancy Holtorf taught for many years in the Alton School District and was beloved there.
“On Friday, August 21, 2020, Nancy showed up eager for the first days at school in Roxana,” Cathy Holtorf said on the GoFundMe page description. “She was her normal, happy, smiling self and she was taking the kids temps and greeting them with her warm smile. Nancy went back to her classroom and began to not feel well. She suspected it was her diabetes. It was not. Nancy suddenly collapsed and had to be airlifted from school. Our beautiful, sweet Nancy suffered a catastrophic stroke.”
Cathy Holtorf described Nancy as “a beautiful sweet girl.”
“For those of you who don’t know her, let me tell you about her,” Cathy Holtorf said. “She has touched more lives than you can imagine, and she was beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. She was a one-of-a-kind teacher, She has dedicated her life to educating children with special needs. She performed countless hours planning and prepping to give each and every child she encounters the education they deserve. She was generous. She was always willing to give, whether it's with hard work, time, love, or charity. She went above and beyond for anyone, anytime.”
Cathy Holtorf’s find words summed up her daughter-in-law to the fullest extent: “To know her, is to love her. Nancy is one of a kind. Nancy is gold.”
The GoFundMe page for Nancy Holtorf's family is below:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/love-amp-support-for-nancy-holtorf039s-medical-expenseChris Rhodes also contributed to this story.
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