Remembering Justene Womack

Justene sat in the middle of Room 210 at South Middle School and I don't think I'd be overstepping if I said she occasionally liked to talk when she was supposed to be working.

Still, it was hard for me to crack down on her minor transgressions, because the second I called her name, I was greeted by the most angelic smile, a smile specifically reserved for that type of situation.

I usually smiled back and kept walking.

I was always an old softie when it came to Justene.

Though she was capable of extreme silliness at times, those times never occurred when we were having one of our class discussions or when she was writing a paper in my communication arts (English) class. She was forceful with her opinions and expressed them well in her writing.

Justene was one of those students who occasionally checked in with me after she moved on to high school and to adulthood. Like many of my former students who learned how to create resumes when they were in my class, she asked me to check hers when she sought her first non-family job.

It didn't need any changes.

She also asked to use me as a reference. I gladly gave her permission. She landed the job, but it didn't have anything to do with me. No one ever called. My guess is the combination of her bubbly personality and her work ethic was enough for her prospective employer.

Justene also sent me a couple of her writing assignments to look over and make suggestions. I glanced over one of them earlier today. Here's part of it.

I will stand tall and do what I have been doing, which is live my American Dream. Be the mother and wife I'm supposed to be, teach my children the values I was taught, and stand for my country.

 

I will not have some politician tell me I'm wrong in what I think, and I will not have some terrorist scare me into submission. For us to get our country back we have to stand together and fight. We have to support our troops and we have to limit our government. You have to make the decision to stand or sit back and watch everything your father, grandfather, great-grandfather worked so hard for you and your fellow Americans to have disappear. That is your choice and you're going to have to make it sooner or later. I've made mine.

For the past few years, Justene has battled cancer and she broke the news to her Facebook friends October 4.

So I don’t know how to say this so I’m just going to come out with it. The doctor gave me less than a year to live. Nothing is working, so I’m starting to talk to hospices now. Thank you so much for the support in all these years.

During the next few months, as she battled the killer disease, she worked to try to make her transition easier for her three children.

Justene Womack's battle ended Sunday when she died surrounded by her family.

Her obituary was accompanied by a photo that showed that same angelic smile that kept her from getting into any trouble for talking so many years ago when she sat in Room 210. As I looked back over the paper she had me read over several years ago, I kept going back to what she said about teaching her children the values she was taught.

Justene taught those values to her children, but she had to squeeze far too much education in far too short a time.

Justene Womack obituary