Normally, when Christmas Day comes, I am full of joy. It’s one of the few days of the year that I get to sit down with my parents and enjoy some time together and to take a break from our busy schedules. I even had the opportunity this year to watch some Christmas cartoons with my mom in the evening to finish off a lovely day.

A friend told me a couple weeks prior that he sensed something bad would happen soon, but we decided to put off the worry for the time being. That night, however, I discovered the reason for that inkling. He told me that Mr. Eudy passed away.

Mr. Eudy was my AP U.S. History teacher for two months before he left school permanently. At first, it was simply rumors that he was sick, then rumors of cancer, then definite news that his kidneys were failing and that his doctors diagnosed him with colon cancer.

I constantly tried to keep myself updated on his condition – although he was my teacher for only two months, I felt enlightened by his integrity and his broad knowledge of history. It was clear that he knew much more than just U.S. History. He knew how to live life to its fullest and how to be dedicated with everything he did.

I kept planning to visit him one day, whether it was at the hospital or at his house. When we had a large poster-card signed by the majority of students, I wrote that his condition was affecting me greatly, but that was the last thing I told him.

When I heard that he was gone, I suddenly realized that I put off the visit for too long. I was instantly filled with regret. I wanted to tell him how he became my role model and how he was one of the best teachers I ever had – or ever will have, I would think – but I was too late. I didn’t think that I could ever overcome the grief that such a dedicated teacher lost his life so early – and on Christmas too.

I decided that since I write articles for the Waterford Patch and for this publication, the best way I could compensate for never having the chance to visit would be to write an article to express how I felt when it happened. If I can’t tell him, then I could at least tell the community.

I also went to his memorial service, the first memorial service I ever attended, to hear people who were close to him telling what type of person he was. It was repeatedly mentioned that, since he was a devoted Christian and his goal was to walk with God, Christmas was the best day for him to pass on. Hearing this made me feel relieved, and I was actually happy that it happened on Christmas. The thought was no longer depressing. I’m sure many other students felt the same way when they heard that.

The two months that Mr. Eudy was my teacher were quite rigorous. I knew that AP U.S. History would be one of my most challenging classes. A quiz on a chapter in the textbook almost every class, a PowerPoint on a current event and a couple tests each quarter, it was a lot. However, I was prepared. I was excited to have such a challenge. Whenever a student had a question, he had an answer. It doesn’t always happen that a teacher knows minutiae out of the class curriculum.

Even now, I am in denial that Mr. Eudy won’t be returning to teach. I never knew anyone personally who passed away, so it’s a difficult concept for me to grasp. His morale and life story will live on in Waterford High and in his family, and I’m sure there are many other students who find that Mr. Eudy is their role model as well.