Colfax shocked by teacher's death

Journal Staff WriterThe community of Colfax is mourning the death of Colfax Elementary School teacher Zoe Kreizenbeck, who was killed in an automobile accident in Alaska last weekend.It was at the Colfax Hometown Fourth celebration Sunday when news of the 49-year-old teacher?s death ripped through the small community. Kreizenbeck, a Nevada City resident, was on a salmon-fishing trip in Alaska when she was killed Saturday afternoon in a head-on collision in Ninilchik, Alaska, near the Kenai Peninsula. Kreizenbeck was driving a Nissan sport utility vehicle when it was struck by a Ford pickup truck that had attempted to pass another truck on a curve in the Sterling Highway. Nevada City resident Kevil Pelton, 52, was the only passenger in Kreizenbeck?s car and was uninjured. Of the nine individuals involved in the three-car collision, Kreizenbeck was the only fatality.?That was really difficult,? said 11-year-old Jaymee Kirby, who was in Kreizenbeck?s class two years ago and heard about the teacher?s death at the fireworks celebration. ?I couldn?t concentrate when the fireworks were going on, I was so upset.?The 16-year Colfax Elementary teacher was scheduled to teach seventh- and eighth-grade social science classes next year, a passion of hers for years, said Gayle Garbolino-Mojica, principal of Colfax Elementary and superintendent of the school district. When Garbolino-Mojica first started at the district three years ago, Kreizenbeck told her to always put the students first ? advice the superintendent/principal has since kept close to heart.?The younger kids will miss not having her as a teacher and the older kids will miss having the positive influence she was for them,? Garbolino-Mojica said Tuesday. ?Whether you?re 5 or 15 or 25, if you had Mrs. K in your life, I don?t think that?s something you?ll ever forget.?Educational aide Sarah Murphy worked with Kreizenbeck for three years and was shocked by the teacher?s death, she said.?She was angelic,? Murphy said. ?That?s the only word I can think of to describe her. She was the best teacher. I was the yearbook editor for three years and the eighth-grade class the year before last dedicated the book to her because she was their favorite teacher. She was just the best teacher and now she?s in heaven, teaching us to live life to its fullest.?An eager traveler, avid hunter and skilled fisherman, Kreizenbeck had a talent for completely immersing herself in whatever subjects interested her, said friend and fellow Colfax faculty member Mary Ann Hinrichs. One of her favorite subjects and places was Alaska. While Kreizenbeck had originally planned to visit Spain over the summer, the Aug. 7 wedding of her only son, Eric Kreizenbeck, caused a change of plans and a much-desired salmon fishing trip, Hinrichs said.?She was going back to do something she dearly loved in a place she thought was absolutely phenomenal,? she said.Although many members of the school community heard of Kreizenbeck?s death on Monday, by Tuesday morning discussions focusing on the most appropriate memorial for the teacher had already begun. Possibilities include a playground or a scholarship fund, said parent Caecilia Karp.?This is one of those things where you wonder, ?Why, God??? Karp said. ?She had so many more lives to teach and so many more hearts to touch.?For the students returning to Colfax next year, there will be a painful void.?She was the best teacher I ever had, because she taught me so many things,? said Jaymee. ?She was a wonderful lady and she deserved a lot of respect. It?s going to be pretty hard. It?ll be really upsetting.?Services for Zoe Kreizenbeck are still pending. She is survived by her husband, Gary Kreizenbeck of Nevada City; her son, Eric Kreizenbeck of Nevada City; father, Edward Schuckert of Idaho; brother, Mark Schuckert of Idaho and was preceeded in death by her mother, Zoe Schuckert of Idaho.Cards may be sent care of Colfax Elementary School, 24825 Ben Taylor Road. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Hospice of the Foothills, 12399 Nevada City Highway in Grass Valley.