ATHENS —
LARUE — It’s times like these when phrases get tossed around such as, “so-and-so lost the battle against cancer.”
But nobody around the LaPoynor Independent School District could really picture Holly Baldwin losing anything as they’ve reflected on her life this week.
She won the heart of her family by exhibiting a dedication to which maybe only a mother can relate.
She won the respect and love of her fellow faculty members by pouring herself out to her students, holding them to a no-nonsense standard that was equally tough and overflowing with compassion.
Shock slammed head-on into those students as school administrators explained Tuesday that Mrs. Baldwin would not be coming back to school.
As the tears flowed, those administrators offered up the best way to explain to those third, fourth and fifth graders how to process the news.
So they told them about Mrs. Baldwin’s latest — and greatest — victory.
“Today, she’s an angel,” elementary school principal Marsha Mills recalled telling the students. “For them, it was easy to see Mrs. Baldwin as an angel.”
Baldwin, 45, succumbed to cancer Monday in Tyler. She had been battling for three years against the disease, which started as breast cancer before metastasizing to her brain.
Funeral services are scheduled for 2 p.m. today at New York Baptist Church. The entire LaPoynor Independent School District will close an hour-and-a-half prior, giving employees, friends and students a final chance to say good-bye.
On December 21, 2011, Baldwin was told by her doctors in Houston that she had three months to live. Exhibiting a toughness by which she had become known, she defied those calculations for nearly a full year.
In the final months of her life, Baldwin would frustrate friends with her stubborn determination to come to work at LaPoynor Elementary School where she had been a fixture for 22 years as a second- and third-grade teacher.
She would wave off the loving admonishments from co-workers who couldn’t understand why she would drag herself into work — sometimes less than a full day after undergoing cancer treatments.
But those who knew her best — who knew the Holly Baldwin who would often use her own money to purchase clothes, shoes and books from the book fair for the students who were less fortunate — understood why.
“That was just her,” Mills said. “She wanted to be here for these kids.”
The Rev. Olin Bowles, a family member of Baldwin’s who will officiate her funeral services, said she continued to work into this school year. He said Baldwin, on the bad days and the good, would cling to her favorite verse in the Bible, Philippians 4:13 — “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
“Her strength — she knew the Lord was with her,” Bowles said, taking a break from writing her eulogy on Wednesday. “She didn’t let life beat her. She would not give up.”
Ironically, Tuesday night had been designated “Pink Out” night for the LaPoynor varsity girls and boys basketball games. Such nights are held across the country in public schools and colleges to honor those battling cancer and to remember those who had died because of the disease.
Baldwin’s life took center stage at the ceremony, with several people honoring her not only for her courage, but a life well-lived.
Said LaPoynor head girls basketball coach Keith Durrett: “It was a pretty emotional night.”
Local News
Related Photos
-
Baldwin
Discussion
‘It’s easy to see her as an angel’
Memories of LaPoynor educator bring laughter, tears
- Local News
-
-
Don’t let the fire die
Brownsboro Junior High eighth-grader Yasmine Mendez lights one of the candles during Thursday's induction ceremony for the National Junior Honor Society. Mendez and this year's NJHS class helped to officially welcome 36 new members who will be in eighth grade next year.
-
‘Click it or Ticket’
The Athens Police Department is part of a nationwide effort to cut down on traffic injuries and deaths by getting motorists to buckle their seat belts. It’s part of the Click It or Ticket campaign underway through June 2.
-
WWII vets visit Washington, D.C.
Two Athens men who served in World War II are part of a veteran’s visit to the nation’s capital this week.
J.C. Garrett and Doug Tanner join 28 others being escorted by Brookshires Grocery Co. who will tour the WWII Memorial and other sites. The veterans were set to leave Texas on Thursday and return at 9 a.m., Saturday. -
Taking a break, just like you
Henderson County offices will close Friday through Monday for the Memorial Day weekend.
The courthouse and other county locations have traditionally closed on a Friday in May for Fiddlers Day. County employees were given May 24 as a holiday this year in anticipation of the event. The county’s 2013 holiday schedule was already set when the organizers of Fiddlers Day decided to make it a Friday night and Saturday affair on May 31 and June 1. -
Great ability, not debatable
BROWNSBORO — Brownsboro senior Caleb Cade earned a state championship in persuasive speaking at the 2013 UIL State Speech and Debate Meet in Austin on May 22.
-
Wet and wild
A line of severe thunderstorms roared throughout Henderson County on Tuesday afternoon, dropping significant rainfall and taking down trees and power lines.
The storm produced heavy rains in Athens, where the National Weather Service reports 2.16 inches fell. Residents in the county were seeing three or more inches in their rain gauges. -
Strong message
A Henderson County jury delivered a strong message to a 37-year-old Kemp man in the sentencing phase of a child sexual-abuse trial on Tuesday.
The jury, in Judge Mark Calhoon’s 3rd District Court, handed Danny Ray Lusk four life sentences and one 20-year sentence, the maximum jail time on each count. -
Going to ‘WAR’
A program termed “We Are Responsible” was generated this year at South Athens Elementary School by its principal, Eugene Buford.
At first reading, the slogan appears to be for the school’s students. But, after looking at the slogan and noting that the abbreviation is WAR, Buford says the slogan is for educators. -
A need that’s very easy to see
The Greater Athens Lions Club is asking for used eyeglasses, lenses, glass cases and hearing aids for the annual Lions Club White Cane Day this Saturday.
-
Too close to home
It was the kind of moment any parent would dread.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Officials: Tsarnaev Friend Linked to Slaying
Obama:Sexual Assault Threatens Trust in Military
Bridge Collapse Survivor: 'Rough Day'
Jersey Shore Open for Business
Raw: Memorial Day Flags Placed at Arlington
New Wheelchair Lift Promises More Access
First Person: Mom Discusses Famous Tornado Photo
Raw Video: Washington State Bridge Collapse
Boy Scouts Approve Plan to Accept Gay Boys
Officials: Truck Hit Bridge Before Collapse
Sheriff: No Sign Killing of 2 Kids Was Planned
Obama Defends Drone Strikes, With Limits
Raw: Jurors Deadlock on Jodi Arias Penalty
Boy Scouts Decision "First Step" Say Activists
Raw: Utah Teen Arrested in Death of His Brothers
Closer Look at Okla. School Where Children Died
Two Suspects in Murder Known to London Police
"Be Ready": NOAA Warns of Busy Hurricane Season
SeaWorld: Penguins Are Coolest Thing in Florida
