The Taylor Independent School District community is mourning the recent loss of two beloved former teachers who served the district for decades.
On June 30, Mary Jo Lindquist, who taught reading, science, social studies and math for more than 20 years at both Twelfth Street Elementary and then TH Johnson Elementary schools, passed away at the age of 85, followed by Delores Hennington on July 2, who served as a reading teacher at Taylor Middle School for more than 30 years, who passed away at the age of 77.
“Both of these ladies inspired countless students over the years,” said Taylor ISD Community Liaison Tim Crow. “And had a huge impact on those fortunate enough to be in their classrooms.” Hennington’s granddaughter, Iris Bunton, who has also served the district for 15 years as both a counselor and as a teacher, said Hennington was a role model to her and her students.
“The students told me she really encouraged them to have a love of reading,” recalled Bunton. “She also helped some of her students who struggled previously. One of her students shared with me that her teachers thought she couldn’t read, but it wasn’t the fact that she couldn’t read. It was the fact that she couldn’t see ... and my grandmother was an advocate in helping her get glasses.”
Bunton said her grandmother also loved to immerse herself in a good book, especially the Bible, but also poetry and non-fiction. She also loved serving at her church by teaching at Vacation Bible School and volunteering in the community. Last month Hennington was honored by the Welfare Workers Club as an Emeritus Board member for her 42 of service to the nonprofit organization.
“Outside of school hours, I got to see her doing a lot of prep work and seeing how much she put into something she cared about (inspired me),” Bunton said.
Hennington was also a strong encourager and woman of faith, Bunton said.
“She was like my ‘hype man,’” Bunton said with a laugh. “She was always like, ‘Ooh, girl, I’m so proud of you.’ She took joy in her relationship with her grandchildren.”
Lindquist is also remembered as a woman of faith, and for her sense of joy and encouragement.
Pat Alderete, who served as an aide to Lindquist for about eight or nine years at TH Johnson, said she always treated her and her students with enormous respect.
“What I liked about Mrs. Lindquist was, I was an assistant to her, but she never ever treated me as an assistant,” Alderete said. “She would give me a task to perform with the students or lessons to teach them, and I would ask her, ‘Do you think I should do that? Shouldn’t you be doing that?’ and she would say, ‘No, no, no, Pat. You are just as important as the teacher.’” Alderete said her mentor, who always made sure she had a desk, as well as a kidney table where she would work with students to help them catch up on missed assignments, didn’t have a mean bone in her body.
“She was a beautiful lady, inside and out,” Alderete said. “She was such a sweet lady and such a good-hearted person that when she would try to fuss at kids, I would sometimes even laugh, because her voice wasn’t even stern enough because she wasn’t that type of person.”
Julie Downs, Lindquist’s daughter, has similar memories of her mother.
“Teaching was about raising children to be good citizens and making sure they had all the tools they needed to be successful,” said Downs, who followed in the footsteps of both her mother and her late father, Bobby Gene Lindquist, a former coach with Taylor ISD, by serving as an educator with the district herself.
“There were always these children that you just want to adopt immediately because you know that there is something they need, and they are just not getting that, so there were always extra snacks in the drawer and extra clothes that ended up at school because she knew the nurse could distribute those. She was very giving and loving” Lindquist also volunteered extensively with her church and in the community, including as a Taylor ISD ambassador and at St. Vincent De Paul, according to an obituary written by Smith.
Downs, who also taught math at the same time as Hennington at TMS, recalls her former colleague in a similar vein to her mother.
“She was the kindest soul,” Downs said of Hennington. “She was a highly spirited, Christian woman. She truly loved her job, and she truly loved her students.”
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Teaching was about raising children to be good citizens and making sure they had all the tools they needed to be successful.”
-Julie Downs, daughter of Mary Jo Lindquist
