JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A First Coast teacher who taught with Duval County Public Schools has become one of more than 700 residents who have passed away from COVID-19 complications during the pandemic.
Her daughter says the way Deborah Menendez-Holloway taught her students and lived her life should serve as one final lesson from a beloved educator.
"She came from an underprivileged family, so she understood what it was like to be a Title I student," said Regina Holloway, Menendez-Holloway's daughter.
Holloway says her mother used her own life experience to relate to kids from all backgrounds at Arlington Elementary School.
"She just made everything relatable and understandable to kids because she got what it was like for things to not come easy, especially with learning," Holloway said.
Then the woman known for her warm smile began to feel something was off.
"She had contracted COVID around mid to late December," Holloway said.
Menendez-Holloway was hospitalized for the illness and died Monday of complications from the virus.
"Whether she was a teacher or a friend or somebody you saw on the street, she always just had a smile," Holloway said.
Books and using them to help educate young kids was one of Menendez-Holloway's passions. Holloway hopes her mother's character can help guide people on the right way to live their lives.
"Her legacy, or at least the one I want to lead with, is always being kind and compassionate no matter who they are because that's always what she did. That's why everybody feels her loss now and feels the love for her," Holloway said.