Martin School mourns loss
PARKERSBURG - The Martin Elementary School community is mourning the death of a beloved staff member, mother and friend.
Christina “Chrissy” Townsend, 49, a custodian at Martin Elementary, passed away Nov. 4 due to complications from Covid-19. A funeral was held Nov. 7 for Chrissy, and more than 100 school and community members held a candlelight memorial Nov. 8 in her honor.
Chrissy worked for Wood County Schools for 21 years, the past four at Martin Elementary.
“She was just a pleasure to work with,” said custodian Tim Ferguson. “She never complained. She did anything we asked. She was always cheerful.”
Though Chrissy could be shy, her presence always lifted up those around her.
“She always had a smile. She was always in a good mood,” said school secretary Melanie McCrady. “No matter what you asked her to do, she would jump on it. She was kind and caring and just wonderful.”
More than anything, Chrissy loved her daughter Megyn, who is a first grader at Martin.
“She was fully devoted to her daughter” said pre-kindergarten teachers aide Margo Belcher who had Megyn in class for two years. “She cherished being a mom. She was incredibly loving and supportive of her daughter, and they had a very special bond together.”
Friends said Megyn was a fixture at the school because she always came to the building early with her mother and sometimes helped her clean tables or performed other small tasks.
“That was just the kind of mom she was,” said Melissa Armann, who was Megyn’s pre-kindergarten teacher. Chrissy “always had Megyn with her, and she always had something for her to do. She was just very kind.”
While she was in the hospital, friends and co-workers said they assured Chrissy they would look out for her daughter until she could get better. Chrissy responded “I know my Martin family will watch over Megyn.”
“She was just a part of us,” said cook Barb Dotson. “We were like a family, and a part of us is missing now.”
Friends said it is a loss that is felt by everyone who knew Chrissy.
“The climate and culture of the school has changed in her absence,” McCrady said. “She will be greatly missed.”
“She loved Martin school,” said cook Jodi Lockhart. “This place will not be the same without her.”
“This was her school, without a doubt,” said
Classroom aide Michael Newlon, who also head’s the school PTA. “She was always interested in what we were doing next, and always supportive. It didn’t matter, she wanted to be a part of whatever would support this school.”
Julia Hartge, a multi-categorial teacher at Martin, said she knew Chrissy not only as a co-worker, but as a fellow member of the Sunrise Baptist Church and that faith played an important role in her life.
“I think it’s really important for people to know how faithful she was up until the very end, because she was a great rolemodel for a lot of people,” Hartge said. “A lot of us depended on talking with her and praying with her, and that is a very important part of our lives that is gone as well.”