Teacher's death stuns campus

Less than a week after receiving her award from the Utah Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (UASCD) as Educator of the Year, Diane Pugmire, 52, unexpectedly passed away Wednesday morning after a sudden illness. Pugmire was a mathematics instructor at Weber State University.

Pugmire’s oldest daughter, Ariana Sears, said her mom exercised with her every day. A few days before passing Pugmire told her daughter she was feeling a little achy. Sears said she felt similar but figured they were already over the illness. On Monday, Pugmire told her daughter, “I wonder if both of us had the swine flu, but our bodies are just strong enough that it kicked it. I feel great.”

Later that night she said she was in a bit of pain and went to the hospital. Within 31 hours Pugmire died.

The family received confirmation from the health department on Thursday that Pugmire died as a result of bacterial pneumonia, with complications from H1N1.

Sears said she takes comfort in knowing that “families are for eternity” and that they will have a chance to be with her again. She said she will remember her mom for putting others before herself.

“My memory of my mom is her continual service and love for each of us,” Sears said. “Even when I had my baby, she was there.”

She had been a part of WSU faculty for 25 years, the same amount of time as one of her colleagues, Dale Ostlie, dean of the college of science.

“She was deeply loved by all the students that worked with her and her colleagues,” Ostlie said. “It is shocking for all of us. She will be missed deeply. All who knew her thought she was a terrific individual.”

WSU math club President Kylie Holt said she remembers interacting with Pugmire last Friday during a math club meeting.

“We had our very first meeting of the year,” Holt said. “She came; she had pizza with us. It was so crazy that she is just gone now. She was there at the meeting — happy and everything.”

Holt said Pugmire was the “sunshine” of the math department.

“She was the cheeriest, happiest person you would ever meet,” Holt said. “She was a sweetheart. We (are) all going to miss her a lot.”

Students and faculty said Pugmire taught class on Monday, but had only spoken of having a scratchy throat. Holt said she didn’t realize how serious the illness was until she learned Pugmire had died.

“All of the teachers have been really somber,” Holt said. “It is a shock to all of us, because it just happened so suddenly. We didn’t expect it at all.  A lot of kids have been crying and things like that.”

“It was really quick and tragic,” said Paul Talaga, math department chair. “Doctors were completely thrown for a loop.”

“She is going to be sorely missed in the department,” Talaga said. “Everybody is going to miss her.”

Talaga said many in and out of the department were in a sad mood and “teary-eyed” on Wednesday. 

Ostlie said people are filling in for Pugmire’s four classes on an emergency basis so the students can continue meeting. Ostlie said finding a permanent replacement for Pugmire will be a challenge.

“Finding someone like Diane is unique,” Ostlie said. “Replacing her is really going to be impossible. It would be a matter of finding someone with that same energy and commitment to students. She brought a certain commitment to students on a one-on-one basis.”

One of Pugmire’s closest colleagues, mathematics instructor Dixie Blackinton (who also received the Educator of the Year award), said she thought the last thing she would ever have to worry about in life would be coming in and seeing an empty office across the hallway where she worked.

“In the 25 years she taught at Weber, I don’t think she ever missed a day of teaching for illness,” Blackinton said. “Just a picture of health; had no conditions that I am aware of.”

Blackinton said she received a phone call in the middle of the night from Pugmire’s husband from the hospital at Pugmire’s request. He said his wife wanted to know if Blackinton would teach her classes until she recovered.

Pugmire planned on recovering from her short illness and wanted to make preparations for her students to still be taught while she was at the hospital.

“That is just the kind of teacher she (was),” Blackinton said.

Blackinton and Pugmire were both honored with the educating award last Thursday for contributions to elementary education teacher training in math. The duo just finished a three-year project where they taught seven courses to about 50 teachers in four school districts in northern Utah. The two always worked together when training teachers.

“She was a fabulous people person,” Blackinton said. “Magnetic personality, wonderful speaker, presenter. She was just a gifted teacher.”

For 20 years the two worked together on many programs and committees. Blackinton said the two were a “dynamic duo” and that they were better together than alone. She said she isn’t sure how she will be able to continue teaching without her colleague.

“When I started looking into retirement, I started talking to her about when I was thinking of retiring and she said, ‘You can’t retire. I can’t teach here without you,’” Blackinton said. “I got thinking about that and never since have I thought about ‘what would I do without Diane,’ because I just always assumed she would be here.”

The goal for both of them was doing whatever they could do to improve student learning. When Blackinton substituted for one of Pugmire’s classes on Wednesday, she gave students a moment to say something about their former teacher’s life.

“A student in the back raised his hand and he said, ‘I have taken trig three times, and Diane has made this so easy for me to understand,’” Blackinton said. “That is what he wanted to say.”

Pugmire was known by her friends and colleagues as energetic and hardworking. She was active in her church and family, and very organized.

“To meet her was to love her,” Blackinton said.

A viewing will be held for Pugmire on Sunday, Nov. 1 from 6-8 p.m. at the Riverdale LDS Stake Center, 4000 Parker Drive in Riverdale. Additional viewing hours will be held on Monday, Nov. 2 from 9:30-10:30 a.m. with funeral services starting at 11 a.m.

A memorial scholarship fund has been set up in honor of Pugmire. For more information and ways to donate visit www.weber.edu/givingagift

The family has set up an email account (Dianepugmire@gmail.com) and is requesting those who knew Pugmire to share their stories with the family.

“We just want to preserve those stories so we can read them to our kids and get a better understanding of who she is,” Sears said.