Originally published 2021-04-08.
Tammy Waddell was a Georgia elementary school teacher who died of stomach cancer on 9 June 2018, aged 58. In her obituary she made one last request: instead of sending flowers, mourners should bring backpacks filled with school supplies for children who could not afford them. On the day of her funeral, around 130 backpacks arrived, and more kept coming afterwards. Photos of the bags lined up in the church spread around the world.
Here is who she was, how her wish came about, what happened to the donations, and how others can create a similar tribute.
Who Tammy Waddell was
Waddell spent about three decades in education, almost all of it in Forsyth County Schools, north of Atlanta. Over her career she taught at Sawnee Elementary and Primary Schools, Cumming Elementary School and Haw Creek Elementary School. In 2003 she was named Forsyth County's elementary school teacher of the year.
Literacy was her particular passion. Colleagues and relatives described a teacher who believed every child deserved the chance to learn, and who quietly made sure that pupils without the basics had what they needed.
She was survived by her husband of 41 years, her sons Kevin and B.J., and four grandchildren. Kevin followed her into teaching, and later said her passion for the job was one of the things that inspired him to choose the profession.
Her final request
Her obituary listed her achievements but made clear what mattered most to her. It closed with a simple request: "In lieu of flowers, please bring backpacks filled with school supplies to honor Tammy's passion for children in need."
It also gave mourners a second option: a donation in her memory to Project Connect, a local initiative that provides backpacks and supplies to students from struggling families.
The idea was a natural extension of the way she had worked for years. A teacher who had always kept spare pencils and notebooks for pupils who arrived without them was, in effect, asking for one more classroom collection.
The funeral and the photos
Her cousin, Brad Johnson, himself an educator and speaker, shared photos from the service on Twitter in June 2018. They showed rows of colourful backpacks lining the aisle of the church, and fellow teachers who had worked alongside her serving as honorary pallbearers.
Honorary pallbearers... Teachers who had taught with her through the years... pic.twitter.com/CyB2pBbBNy
— 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 (@DrBradJohnson) June 19, 2018
Johnson's post was shared thousands of times. He described her as a teacher first and foremost, someone as quick with a hug as with a box of supplies for a pupil in need, and added a line many people repeated: "Even in death, she's still teaching every one of us."
Paul Holbrook, a spokesman for the funeral home, confirmed the numbers. About 130 backpacks were dropped off on the day, each packed with enough supplies to see a student through a good part of the school year, and further donations continued after the service. He summed her up as "a servant leader that loved children."
A spokeswoman for Forsyth County Schools, Jennifer Caracciolo, also called the donations a touching tribute to Waddell's career.
How the story kept growing
The story was picked up by CNN, Good Morning America and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and by sites around the world. Among those who saw it was Tes Resources, a UK-based education organisation, which contacted Johnson to arrange a donation of thousands of school supplies for students in Forsyth County.
I know on Thursdays we usually share a #FeelGoodThursday, but today we wanted to tell you a story that we heard about an incredible teacher.
— Tes Resources (@TesResources) June 21, 2018
Thank you @DrBradJohnson pic.twitter.com/hVECbqqclJ
Her son Kevin hoped people would take a broader message from it. Rather than sending supplies to her county specifically, he encouraged people to support schools in their own communities, which is what he believed his mother would have wanted.
Why school supplies matter
For many families, the start of the school year brings a long list of costs: backpacks, notebooks, pens, calculators, art materials and more. Teachers in the United States and elsewhere regularly report spending their own money to cover what pupils lack, and children who arrive without basic equipment can feel singled out before lessons even begin.
Programmes like Project Connect exist because these gaps are common. A full backpack does not solve poverty, but it removes one visible barrier and lets a child start the year on the same footing as classmates.
How to plan a similar memorial tribute
Waddell's request has inspired other families to ask for practical donations in place of flowers. If you are considering something similar, for yourself or a loved one, a few steps make it work well:
- Choose a recipient first. Contact a school, district family-support office or local charity and ask whether they can accept and distribute donated supplies.
- Ask what is actually needed. Many schools publish supply lists by grade. Specific requests prevent piles of items nobody can use.
- Give clear instructions. Mention in the obituary or funeral notice whether people should bring items to the service, drop them at the school, or give money instead.
- Plan the logistics. Arrange for someone to collect donations after the service and deliver them, so the funeral home and family are not left with the task.
- Offer a money option. Not everyone can shop in advance. A link to donate to the same cause lets more people take part.
A lasting lesson
Flowers fade within days. Backpacks filled in Tammy Waddell's name went into classrooms and helped children she would never meet. It is a fitting legacy for a teacher who spent her life making sure students had what they needed to learn, and a reminder that a memorial can reflect not just how someone died, but how they lived.
Sources: Upworthy, drawing on CNN, Good Morning America and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; Brad Johnson on Twitter; Tes Resources on Twitter.
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