Parents, teachers and students in Harris County are mourning the unexpected loss of a Park Elementary School teacher who had been teaching in the school district for 22 years.
On Dec. 15, the Harris County School District learned of the death of first grade teacher Karon Grant.
“Though I’m only in my second full year as principal, I can share that Mrs. Grant was a very dedicated teacher here at Park for many, many years,” said Principal Allyson Douthit. “Her daughter shared that just before her passing, she had just finished preparing gifts for all of her students. She touched the lives of many students who have walked our halls and will be dearly missed. We are heartbroken for her family and continue to keep them, her students, and colleagues in our thoughts and prayers.”
Angel Culp, retired assistant superintendent who served as Park principal for several years during Grant’s career said Grant’s convictions and standards were a driving force in her life. “Karon was the type of teacher that most people would call ‘traditional.’ Her classroom was structured, and parents and students knew the expectations and were always well informed. Her family and God were first in her life and she lived every day with those standards. Park was her family, too. She had a passion for teaching children. She will always be a part of Park’s legacy,” Culp said.
After graduating from LaGrange College with a bachelor’s degree in Education, Grant’s first teaching position was at Luthersville Elementary School. For the past 22 years, Grant taught at Park Elementary in Hamilton.
Colleagues say in her leisure time, Grant volunteered for the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life. She enjoyed making jams, jellies, and preserves, that she shared with so many, and restoring antiques. But, more than any of those things, she loved spending time with her grandchildren.
Grant is survived by her husband and fellow Harris County teacher, Rob Grant of Pine Mountain; her mother, Brenda (Ed) Wheat of Montgomery, AL; her children, Susan M. Grant of Pine Mountain, Michael (Kelsey, who is a teacher at HCSD’s Creekside Intermediate School) Grant of Hamilton, Katherine E. Grant of Pine Mountain; one stepsister, Leigh (Donny) Burnett of Prattville, AL; three grandchildren, Theodore Anderson Grant, Webberly Blair Grant, John Brooks Grant and several nieces and nephews.
Cox Funeral Home, Hamilton is assisting the family with arrangements. For those closest to her, a service is scheduled for 1 p.m., Saturday, Dec. 19, at Cornerstone Baptist Church (16117 GA-315, Ellerslie, GA 31807).
