Desert Mesa teacher will be remembered at memorial Thursday
Community members are invited to attend a memorial service for a longtime Yuma teacher who died over the summer break.
Linda Bromfield, who taught fifth grade at Desert Mesa Elementary School, died June 10, according to her funeral notice which ran in the Yuma Sun on June 13. She was 60 years old, and had been a schoolteacher for at least 25 years, about 20 of those in the Yuma area.
“She was a highly respected fifth-grade teacher,” said Desert Mesa Principal Eula Baumgarner. “She had such empathy for her students. She’s known for her bringing the love of science to her students. She was just an amazing teacher, and we were just devastated by her death.”
Baumgarner said Bromfield’s death was unexpected, and teachers and staff at the school held an in-house memorial for her back in June.
“She died in her sleep,” Baumgarner said. “(It was) totally unexpected.”
Since the new academic year started Aug. 7, Baumgarner said she had been getting calls inquiring about Bromfield, and a memorial would be an appropriate remembrance for all the students the teacher touched.
“We thought we would just do this memorial so everyone would have an opportunity to come and to speak and to relate stories about her,” Baumgarner said.
The memorial, which will take place from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday at the school’s cafeteria, is open to all of Bromfield’s former students, young and old alike, to remember her, the principal said.
“We encourage them all to come,” she said. “This is for the students that remember her with such love.”
While Baumgarner will be the main speaker during the event, others are welcome to say a few words as well, she said. A large turnout is expected, and those who wish to speak are asked to limit themselves to two to three minutes.
“We’re planning for people to be able to speak,” Baumgarner said. “At least I think that will be the most meaningful, former students and parents who’ve had dealings with her.”
A family memorial has already been held, said Bromfield’s older brother, John, who related the story of why Bromfield came to Yuma all those years ago.
“She said this was where she was most needed,” he said. “She was very committed to the Yuma community.”
Bromfield was heavily involved with Desert Mesa’s Reading Education Assistance Dogs program, having adopted “Gracie” a Golden Retriever from fellow fifth-grade teacher Tim Gilliland, according to a Yuma Sun article from 2010.
Gracie, who is now 10 or 11 years old, is still a fixture for the program, Baumgarner said, and the well-loved canine was still working in Bromfield’s classroom.
“The first day, she just stood outside (Bromfield’s) door with such a sad expression,” Baumgarner said of the elderly dog. “It broke our hearts.”