Obituaries
2 School District Employees Mourned
Both died over the winter break, including a longtime elementary school teacher.
OAKLAND, CA — The Oakland Unified School District is mourning two staff members who died over the recent winter break, district officials said.
The two employees are school police Sgt. Carlos Valencia and long-time Burckhalter Elementary School teacher Kathryn Konrady.
School officials said Konrady had taught in Oakland schools for 26 years, more than 17 of them at Burckhalter. She also worked at Hillcrest, Melrose, Parker, Lakeview, Emerson and John Marshall elementary schools.
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School district officials said Konrady was the only second-grade teacher at Burckhalter, so she had taught most of the students at the school.
She was well known and beloved and had planned to retire at the end of this school year, according to the district.
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District officials said Konrady loved teaching math and writing and is remembered for going above and beyond for her students, often buying science and art materials with her own money to enhance the learning
experience.
Her fellow teachers described her as being funny and devoted and having a huge heart, according to the school district.
Konrady died at home of apparent natural causes on Jan. 5.Valencia died of natural causes on Christmas Eve, according to the school district.
He had been on vacation with his wife when he began to feel ill and then checked himself into a hospital a few days before his death, district officials said.
Valencia was with the school district's Police Department for two years after having served with the San Jose Police Department for 29 years and two years with the Contra Costa County Sheriff's Office, according to
school district officials.
He is survived by his wife, an adult son and daughter and three grandchildren.
"Carlos was a dedicated father, grandfather and mentor and an unselfish professional," school police Chief Jeff Godown said in a statement.
"Carlos worked hard with other members of the department to redevelop the school security officer program. He was instrumental in implementing the in-service security officer training. Carlos will be missed but never forgotten," Godown said.
Oakland Board of Education vice president Jumoke Hinton Hodge dedicated a recent board meeting to Konrady and Valencia.
— Bay City News; Image via Shutterstock